Intelligent adaptive label device and method

ABSTRACT

Briefly, an intelligent label is associated with a good, and includes one or more permanent and irreversible electrochromic indicators that are used to report the condition of that good at selected points in the movement or usage of that good. These electrochromic indicators provide immediate visual information regarding the status of the good without need to interrogate or communicate with the electronics or processor on the intelligent label. In this way, anyone in the shipping or use chain for the good, including the end user consumer, can quickly understand whether the product is meeting shipping and quality standards. If a product fails to meet shipping or quality standards, the particular point where the product failed can be quickly and easily identified, and information can be used to assure the consumer remains safe, while providing essential information for improving the shipping process. It will be understood that the label may take many forms, such as a tag attached to the good, integrated into the packaging for the good, integrated into the good itself, or may even be an information area on a prepaid card for example. The label may also include, for example, print information regarding the good, usage or shipping rules, or address and coded information.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/164,103, filed May 25, 201 and entitled “Intelligent Adaptive LabelDevice and Method,” which claims priority to U.S. provisionalapplication No. 62/166,075, filed May 25, 2015 and entitled “AnIntelligent Adaptive Label and System,” both of which applications areincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an intelligent label that isparticularly constructed to be associated with a good, and to enabletrusted and verifiable reporting of the condition of that good. In oneaspect, the label's processor is used to evaluate time or environmentalconditions, and in response set or change a human-readable electroopticindicator. In another aspect, the label includes a wireless radio toreport additional information regarding the condition of the good.

BACKGROUND

Modern commerce is increasingly dependent on transporting goods usingcarriers as society embraces more and more online shopping. For example,modern consumers are increasingly using online shopping and commoncarriers for delivering wine, prescription medication, food, andsensitive electronic devices. To assist in tracking and monitoring themovement of sensitive and expensive goods, labels have been developed inthe past that incorporate RFID communication and intelligence. In thisway, at the point of shipment and throughout the major carriers, thegood has the ability to be tracked. However, adoption of such RFIDlabels has been slow, as the equipment for initializing, loading,updating, and interrogating the label's RFID electronics is expensive,and typically only available at larger transfer points in the shippingtransaction. Further, it is unlikely, and even rare, for the endconsumer to be able to interact with the label. Since the consumer is acritical part of the delivery chain, and the consumer is excluded fromparticipation in the information available on the label, the use ofintelligent labels has been quite low and very ineffective in improvingthe customer experience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An intelligent label is associated with a good, and includes one or morepermanent and irreversible electrochromic indicators that are used toreport the condition of that good at selected points in the movement orusage of that good. These electrochromic indicators provide immediatevisual information regarding the status of the good without need tointerrogate or communicate with the electronics or processor on theintelligent label. In this way, anyone in the shipping or use chain forthe good, including the end user consumer, can quickly understandwhether the product is meeting shipping and quality standards. If aproduct fails to meet shipping or quality standards, the particularpoint where the product failed can be quickly and easily identified, andinformation can be used to assure the consumer remains safe, whileproviding essential information for improving the shipping process. Itwill be understood that the label may take many forms, such as a tagattached to the good, integrated into the packaging for the good,integrated into the good itself, or may even be an information area on aprepaid card for example. The label may also include, for example, printinformation regarding the good, usage or shipping rules, or address andcoded information.

In a particular construction, the intelligent label includes a computerprocessor for managing the overall electronic and communicationprocesses on the intelligent label. For example, the processor controlsany RFID communication, as well as storage of information data. Theprocessor also has a clock, which may be used to accurately identifywhen the good changed hands in the shipping chain, or when the goodfailed to meet a quality standard. In this regard, the label may alsohave one or more sensors that can detect a chemical or gaseouscomposition, optical, electrical or an environmental condition such astemperature, humidity, altitude, or vibration. If the processordetermines that the sensor has a condition that exceeds the safehandling characteristics, then the processor may store informationregarding the out-of-specification handling, and may take additionalactions as necessary. For example, if the out-of-specification handlingis minimal, the processor may cause an electrooptical indicator such asan electrochromic indicator on the label to show a “caution” as to usingthe product. In another example, the processor may determine that thesensor has greatly exceeded the outer specification criteria, and causean electrochromic indicator to show that the product is spoiled orotherwise unusable.

The intelligent label may also be constructed with an actuator that canrobustly determine the time when the label was attached to the good. Forexample, the removal of the adhesive backing from a label may make orbreak an electronic circuit that causes the processor to identify thetime when the label adhesive was removed or when the label was attachedfor shipping. In another example, the actuator can determine when ashipping package was sealed for shipping. Since this action necessarilyhappens within moments of the label being attached to the good, there isan accurate and traceable time as to when the good was placed by theshipper into the shipping chain. Thereafter, RFID communications may beused to retrieve and load additional information with the label, inorder to track the good through the shipping chain.

Advantageously, the intelligent label provides a robust, trustworthy,easily usable system for tracking goods from a point of origin todelivery to the consumer. Importantly, the intelligent label providesimportant visual feedback throughout the shipping process without theneed for expensive communication, RFID, or interrogation equipment.Further, the intelligent label facilitates simple and reliablecommunication of shipping information from a consumer back to amanufacturer or seller, for example, for confirming warranty orreplacement information. In this way, a shipping and delivery systemhaving a high degree of trust, and resistance to fraud, is enabled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of the front side of an intelligent label madein accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a process for using an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a process for using an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of using patterned conductors for a transparentelectrochromic material.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a cross-section of a electrochromatic indicatorhaving a pattern of transparent conductors.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIGS. 12a-d illustrate an actuator for an envelope using an intelligentlabel in accordance with the present invention

FIGS. 13a-c illustrate an actuator for an envelope using an intelligentlabel in accordance with the present invention

FIGS. 14a-b are schematic illustrations of an EC indicator in thenonactivated and the activated states in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 15 is a chart illustrating the spectrum of light transmissionthrough an EC indicator in its two reversible states in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 16 is a picture of an EC indicator in nonactivated and theactivated states in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a picture of an EC interdigitated indicator in nonactivatedand the activated states in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a picture of an EC indicator of a character symbol innonactivated and the activated states in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a process for using an intelligent label made in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 21 is an illustration of a blood bag having an attached intelligentlabel made in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The intelligent label may take many forms, such as a traditional stylelabel for attachment to a discrete box or package, it may be integrallyformed on a package such as a shipping container or mailer, or it maytake the form of documentation that accompanies a shipped product. Inother examples, the label may be integrated or applied on prepaid giftcards for example, or can be integrated into the good itself. Generally,the intelligent label is intended to enable a highly trusted, robust,and accurate way for safely and securely confirming or reporting thecondition of a good, for example, as the good is transported from apoint of origin to a consumer, or as it is held in stock prior to use.Additionally, the smart label enables analytics and an understanding ofthe quality and handling of the good over time that is not availablewith prior systems. Further, the intelligent label provides accurate andtimely information to various participants in the handling and useprocess, including the end consumer, without the need for sophisticatedprocessing, communication, or interrogation systems. In this regard, theintelligent label has a simple electrooptical display (indicator) forvisually presenting selected important information about the quality andhandling of the good. A preferred option is an irreversible bistableindicator that cannot be turned back to its original stateelectronically, and thus is naturally resistant to tampering oraccidental alteration. In some labels one may use both bistable andirreversible indicators corresponding to different indicator functions.

Bistable indicators may be used to temporarily reveal a code orinformation. Bistability means that the display or the indicator changesfrom a first optical state to a second optical state by using a poweringprotocol, and remains in the second optical state without theapplication of additional power. However, this state (the second opticalstate) can be reversed to the first optical state by applying adifferent powering protocol and can also be maintained in that statewithout application of the power. The length of stability in a givenoptical state is dependent on the application requirement and a suitableelectrooptical display/indicating system meeting that requirement canselected. In some applications optical state stability without theapplication of power, on the order of a few minutes may be acceptable,while in other cases this may extend to several days, months or years.Many non-emissive electrooptical systems such as electrophoretic, liquidcrystal and electrochromic systems can be tailored for variousbistability requirements. Another desirable property of these indicatorsis their environmental durability (time, temperature, humidity(moisture), pressure and radiation (e.g., UV) in both activated andnon-activated states so that it is obvious from visually observing theindicator its last state of activation (or inactivation). Thisenvironmental stability ensures that it would be difficult to mistakethe conveyance of its intended optical state and also difficult totamper with and also results in a permanence of indicated information.

A preferred electrooptical device is an electrochromic (EC) indicator,and more preferably an irreversible EC indicator (or device). It isexpected that the shelf life of these displays in activated andnon-activated states will be at least one year under normal ambientconditions, and preferably more than 3 years, and most preferably 5years. For example, the electrooptical device may indicate an expirationof time in the shipping process, may indicate that the good wassubjected to extreme environmental conditions, or may indicate that theproduct was good and reliable for use. It will be appreciated that theintelligent label has many varied applications for enabling advantageousshipping processes.

The Intelligent Label

Referring now to FIG. 1, one example of an intelligent label isillustrated. It will be appreciated that the intelligent label may takemany forms, however the form illustrated is a fairly typical label forattachment to a good destined for shipment using carriers or deliverycompany. In other examples, the label may be integrated into mailers orother shipping containers, may be part of shipping documentation, or maybe integrated with the product or good itself, as in the case of a giftcard. Referring again to FIG. 1, label 10 is intended for attachment toa good using an adhesive backing. As with a traditional paper label,intelligent label 10 has a print area 11 that may be used foridentifying the intended receiver for the good. It will be appreciatedthat the print area may contain many other kinds of information, such asadditional information regarding the attached good, invoice numbers,purchase order numbers, and additional information to assist theshipper. It will be appreciated that the print information may be placedin many different areas in human-readable or machine-readable form. Forexample, the print area may include barcode or other man or machinereadable 12 to facilitate a more automated way to track process throughthe shipping chain. The intelligent label 10 also has embeddedelectronics that enable wireless communication to and from theintelligent label 10 electronics, not visible from the front of label10, including a power source such as a battery, a processor, memory, andwireless communication, typically in the form of an RFID communicationprocessor. It will be appreciated that these functions may be integratedonto a single electronic device, or maybe discreetly implemented.Accordingly, besides the tracking information that may be acquired fromthe print area 11, additional tracking information may be stored andcommunicated using the electronic RFID areas. The intelligent label mayalso have an optional power harvester to charge the onboard power sourcesuch as a capacitor or a battery. The power harvester may produceelectric energy from light (e.g., solar cell), RF energy, or due tomotion and vibration that the label is subjected to.

Intelligent label 10 typically has an actuator, not illustrated from thefront, that activates the electronics in the label just prior to thelabel being attached to the good. For example, the label may haveadhesive backing, that when removed, enables the capture of theparticular date and time when the label is being attached to the good.To enable this, the processor would operate in a very low power state tomaintain its timer, and then when the adhesive is removed from the backof the label, a higher power mode would be enabled that allowed captureand storage of the current time and day. In this way, the label itselfcan accurately capture when it is attached to a good in-service. Thegood may then be placed into the shipping chain, where at each transferinformation may be captured from the label using the barcode 12 or fromthe electronic RFID communications, and additional information may bestored in the RFID areas as well, provided such RFID equipment isavailable at shipping locations.

Intelligent label 10 also has an electrochromic display area 13 forproviding immediate visual information regarding the quality of theproduct without the need for interrogating the RFID communicationsystem. In one example, the processor in the intelligent label 10contains rules as to how long the shipping process should take. In amore specific example, the label 10 could be applied to a box offlowers. The shipper-grower may require that the flowers be deliveredwithin a two day time span. As soon as the label is applied to theflowers, the timer starts and begins counting the elapsed time that theflowers have been in the shipping process. Initially, the intelligentproduct label may indicate the flowers as being fresh, but if theshipping time goes behind the limits set in the rules, the processor maycause the electrochromic device to indicate not to accept the flowers.Thus, at any point in the shipping process the receiver would be put onvisual notification not to accept the flowers. This point could be atthe end consumer point, or could be at any other point in the shippingchain. In one interesting alternative, there could be a period of timewhen the product is not quite fresh, but yet would be acceptable by mostconsumers. In this case, the intelligent label could be set up to informthe end-user to call customer service. Upon calling customer service,the customer may be offered a discount or other incentive to accept theflowers, acknowledging that they are nearing the end of their freshnessstate.

In a more specific example of the electrochromic display, theelectrochromic display may have an informational block 15 for providingadditional specific information. The information in informational block15 may provide coded information depending upon specific attributes ofthe shipping process. Typically, the informational block 15 would beactivated in order to give more specific information as to the broadinformation given in area 13. For example, the intelligent label 10shows that the product associated with this label should not beaccepted. If, for example, a consumer removes a package from theirmailbox with the “do not accept” highlighted, the consumer typicallywill not have the equipment necessary to interrogate the label throughits RFID communication channels. However, at the time the “do notaccept” electrochromic indicator was set, the label also provided anelectrochromic indication that provided the additional information asshown in information block 15. Accordingly, when the consumer callscustomer support for the provider of the good, the consumer can visuallyread the code included in block 15 to the customer servicerepresentative, and that particular code can be associated with aspecific time or event causing the good to go bad. In this way, customerservice obtains significant information that is accurate and trustworthyas to where in the shipping chain the product was mishandled. Byproviding such information, the chances for fraud are decreased, and theopportunity for improved customer service is enabled.

Label Construction

It will be appreciated that the intelligent label may take many forms,but for convenience, the structure and function of the intelligent labelwill be described with reference to a discrete label having an adhesivebacking for attachment to a mailing package or good. It will beunderstood that other constructions for the intelligent label areconsistent with this disclosure, such as a label integrated with apackage, integrated onto shipping packaging, or integrated into shippingdocumentation. It will also be appreciated that other constructions orpossible consistent with this disclosure.

Print Information. Referring now to FIG. 2, an example construction foran intelligent label 25 is illustrated. Intelligent label 25 typicallyhas a front side, which has a print area 27 for communicatinginformation regarding the good itself or the shipping and usage of thatgood. The information typically is printed onto the label using inkjetor laser printing processes, or may be preprinted. The print informationmay contain such information as name, address, invoice number, preferredshipper, and other traditional shipping information. Print informationmay also include information about the use of the goods, or rulesregarding how the good should be stored or shipped. The printinformation may include textual information, as well as barcode or othertypes of machine readable formats. In this way, the print informationcan assist a human reading the information, and also may accommodatemore automated data collection processes throughout the shipping chain.

Processor. Intelligent label 25 also has electronics on or embeddedwithin its structure. Electronics includes a processor 28 having anassociated clock 29 and storage 30. The processor also managescommunication using communication processor 34, which typically is anRFID radio. It will be appreciated that the various electroniccomponents may be implemented using a single integrated circuit device,or may require multiple devices.

Electrochromic Indicator. Also on the front side of the label, therewill be an electrochromic indicator 33 for providing additionalinformation regarding the condition or quality of the good. Importantly,the electrochromic indicator 33 is bi-stable or permanent, i.e.,irreversible. More particularly, the electrochromic material isspecifically formulated and activated in a way that it has two color ortransparency states, with the electrochromic material remaining in thefirst state until it is activated to transition to the second state.Once electrically transitioned to the second state by the processor, theprocess is irreversible, and the electrochromic device 33 remainspermanently in the second color or the second transparency state. Theparticular formulation of the electrochromic material is fully set forthin published US patent application number 20110096388, which isincorporated herein in its entirety.

In one example, electrochromic indicator 33 may be a first color whilein the first state, and then when transitioned to the second state,visually present a second color. In another example, the electrochromicindicator may change its transparency state. In this way, electrochromicindicator could be placed over printed information that would not bevisible while the indicator is in the first state, but then whentransitioned, information below could be viewed through the nowtransparent electrochromic indicator. In another example, theelectrochromic indicator 33 may be more complex and structured in a waythat can build textual or numeric information, for example, such asusing a segment or dot-based character construction. Further, althoughthe electrochromic indicator is described as having only two states, itwill be appreciated that some indicators may have more than two stablestates. In another variation, upon activation, the electrochromicindicator may transition from a first state to a second stateirreversibly, and then upon further activation transitions reversiblybetween the second and a third state, i.e., show bistability between thesecond and the third states.

In operation, electrochromic indicator 33 would be transitionedaccording to rules set in the processor for the particular good that isbeing shipped. These rules would be implemented using processor 28, andwhen a rule is satisfied, the processor 28 would cause an appropriateelectronic signal to transition the electrochromic material in theelectrochromic indicator 33. For example, rules may be set that wouldcause the electrochromic indicator 33 to indicate whether or not thepackage was shipped and delivered within the allotted time.

Power. The electronics for intelligent label 25 require a power source32 for operation, communication, and transitioning the electrochromicindicator 33. This power may be supplied, for example, by a traditionalprimary or a secondary cell battery, a set of thin-film layersconstructed as a battery, capacitor, or may be an antenna structureconstructed to generate power responsive to an RFID field signal.

Communication. Bidirectional communication may be provided withintelligent label 25 using the communication processor 34. Thecommunication processor 34 may be an RFID radio, although other radiossuch as ZigBee, 802.11, or Bluetooth maybe used. The communicationprocesses on communication block 34 may be controlled by processor 28,with processor 28 managing what information is sent and received throughthe radio. Once information is received, it may be stored in storage 30,or rules may be applied to determine if action needs to be taken, suchas setting the electrochromic indicator 33.

Actuator. Intelligent label 25 also has an actuator 31 for determiningwhen the label is being attached to a good, for example. In this way,the actuator provides an accurate indicator of when the good is enteringthe shipping chain. It will be appreciated that the electronics man beactivated at other trusted and confirmable times depending on thespecific application. Actuator 31 can take many forms, depending uponthe physical structure of the intelligent label 25. In one example, theactuator 31 is constructed along with the backing of the label, such aswhen the backing is removed to expose adhesive, the processor isprovided with a signal that the label is about to be attached to thegood. In this way, the processor can then store the accurate informationregarding how the product entered the shipping chain, which can provideuseful and accurate comparison information throughout the shippingprocess. In practice, the actuator can be implemented in manyalternative ways. For example, the actuator may be set such that theremoval of the label backing breaks an electronic circuit that can bedetected by the processor. In another example, the removing of thebacking material and placement of the label on the good may close acircuit, thereby giving a signal to the processor that the label hasbeen attached to the good. In other examples, the actuator may bepressure activated through the application process, or provide anelectronic signal that is generated by some physical action, such as bypulling a tab. It will be appreciated that actuator 31 maybe implementit in a wide variety of ways.

Sensor. Referring now to FIG. 3, another example of an intelligent label50 is illustrated. Intelligent label 50 is similar to intelligent label25 described with reference to FIG. 2, so only the differences will bedescribed. For example intelligent label 50 includes a print area,processor, clock, storage, actuator, power, communication, and a firstelected electrochromic indicator as set out with reference tointelligent label 25. However, intelligent label 50 has a sensor 55 thatis positioned on, in, or below the intelligent label 50 for sensingsomething about the physical or chemical environment that the good wassubjected to during the shipping process. By way of example, sensor 55could be a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and altitude sensor, apressure sensor, an optical sensor, a vibration sensor (including ashock sensor), a humidity sensor, biological or a chemical sensor(including a gas sensor, a pH sensor), a magnetic sensor, an a smokesensor, etc. It will be appreciated that a wide variety of sensors couldbe used depending upon the particular good being sold. It will also beappreciated that although only one sensor is shown on intelligent label50, multiple sensors may be used. For example, a sensitive electronicdevice may be sensitive to vibration so a vibration sensor would beused, and may have parts that cannot be exposed to temperature extremes,so a temperature sensor would also be provided. However, for convenienceintelligent label 50 will be described with reference to a single sensor55.

The processor within intelligent label 50 will have a set of associatedrules for the expected environmental conditions that the sensor 55should be exposed to these rules can be set to simplistically monitorthe sensor data, or may contain more sophisticated algorithms as toallowable conditions. For example, a good may remain in a quality stateif exposed to a temperature for a short period of time, but would beconsidered out of specification if the temperature remained for morethan a set period of time. It will be appreciated that a wide variety ofrules may be set for sensor 55.

With the addition of one or more sensors, it is likely that theintelligent label 50 will need at least one more electrochromicindicator 53. It will be appreciated that several electrochromicindicators and even of different types may be useful depending upon thenumber of sensors and sophistication of the rules for the goodassociated with intelligent label 50. In one example, an electrochromicindicator may be provided for visually indicating the letter, character,or code that provides more information regarding when or why the goodwas deemed to be unacceptable. Again, as the electrochromic indicatorprovides a human readable visual indicator, a person, such as the endconsumer, would not need to wirelessly interact with the intelligentlabel 50 to obtain meaningful information regarding the statetransition. In this way, a customer service representative interactingwith the consumer would be able to not only verify that the consumer'sproduct has been indicated to be a bad quality, it may be able todetermine additional specific information that could improve theshipping process, and provide valuable information in satisfying thecustomer's needs.

State Verification. In some cases, particularly with high value goods,it may be desirable to add another layer of protection that theelectrochromic indicator has properly transitioned to its second state.Referring now to FIG. 4, another example of an intelligent label 75 isillustrated. Intelligent label 75 is similar to intelligent label 50described with reference to FIG. 3, so only the differences will bedescribed. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the state detector 78 may beconnected to one or more of the electrochromic indicators. In this way,when a particular rule is set to change one or more electrochromicindicators, the processor will provide the required power signal to theelectrochromic indicator for it to change to its permanent second state.After an appropriate period of time, the processor can then cause statedetector 78 to confirm that the electrochromic material has changeddates. This can be done, for example, using electrical measurementsacross the electrochromic indicator, or using optical sensors forphysically detecting color, transparency, or opaqueness of theelectrical material. In this way, the processor would not only trackwhen it intended to set the electrochromic material into its secondstate, but would provide further verification information that the statewas actually changed. The reliability of the state detection andconfirmation may be further improved using knowledge of environmentalconditions such as temperature, altitude, number of indicators, andtheir size, so that electrical parameters of the indicators areaccurately predicted and tested both before and after activation.

In one example of state detection, circuitry is provided on theintelligent label for measuring the open circuit voltage across theelectrochromic indicator. In such a case, for most electrochromicmaterials the open circuit voltage will be much higher for an activatedindicator versus an un-activated indictor. However, it will beappreciated that the open cell voltage will likely drop due to parasiticreactions, so measuring open cell voltage is most useful and accurate ifdone soon after the activation occurred.

In another example of state detection, circuitry is provided on theintelligent label for measuring the current that flows across theelectrochromic indicator when the test voltage is set to an activationvoltage. If the current is low, than that is a strong indication thatthe electrochromic indicator is properly activated. If the current flowis relatively high, then it is likely that the electrochromic indicatorhas not been activated. It will be appreciated that passing currentthrough the electrochromic indicator may alter the appearance of theelectrochromic material, but the effects can be minimized by applyingthe test voltage at relatively low level and for a short period. Inanother approach, the applied voltage may be reverse-biased. Again, thecurrent flow will be different depending on whether or not theelectrochromic indicator has been activated. In another example of statedetection, circuitry is provided on the intelligent label for directlymeasuring the current color or transparency of the electrochromicmaterial. In this way, it can be determined if the electrochromicindicator has been properly activated.

In yet another example of state detection, circuitry is provided on theintelligent label for measuring the resistance in the electrode. Anactivated electrochromic indicator should have a different resistancethan an indicator that has not been activated. More particularly, theline resistance of a length of conductor is determined by the parallelcombination of the conductor and the electrochromic material. Thisinitial conductor resistance can be measured, or can be a knownpredefined value. After the electrochromic indicator has been activated,the eltrochromic material will have a different resistance, so thecombination line resistance of the electrode will also change.Accordingly, measuring the post-activation conductor resistance, andcomparing that with the known pre-activation resistance, can be used toconfirm that the electrochromic indicator has successfully transitioned.

In yet another example of state detection, quality assurance circuitryis provided on the intelligent label for determining if theelectrochromic indicator and its activation electrodes have beenproperly manufactured and are in a state ready to be activated. Forexample, a quality assurance test may apply a low voltage/current cantest for continuity and verify connectivity. More particularly, a highresistance may indicate a problem with the electrochromic indicator andits associated activation circuits and structures. In a similar way,measuring an unusually high current can indicate an unacceptable shortin the activation circuits.

In yet another example of state detection, quality assurance circuitryis provided on the intelligent label that allows for the activation andverification of a portion of electrochromatic material. This testportion could be placed where it is not visible, or is minimally visibleto a human viewer. Alternatively, the test portion could be positionedto be visible, but not to present any information except for a qualitymark. Thus, if the qualtiy mark passed, a human or machine could see orsense that the quality mark was successfully activated, therebyconfirming that the activion circuits and power sources are workingproperly, and that the electrochromic material was properly placedduring manufacture.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another example of the intelligent label 80 isillustrated. Intelligent label 80 is similar to intelligent label 25discussed with reference to FIG. 1, so only the differences will bedescribed. Intelligent label 80 does not have a wireless communicationcapability, so is simpler and less expensive to manufacture, but stillenables advantageous and trusted commercial transactions.

The Electro-Optic Indicator

The electro-optic indicator may be implemented using alternativematerial and construction approaches. However, for many applications, itis highly desirable that the electro-optic indicator be inexpensivelyconstructed, for example, by using a limited number of layering ormanufacturing steps. To this end, an electrochromic (EC) material forthe display indicator, comprising an electrochromic thin-film chemistry,is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/002,275 (“Flexibleand Printable Electro-Optic Devices”), which is incorporated herein inits entirety. The disclosed electrochromic material is particularlysuitable for forming a low-cost, low-power display and indicator. Thevisual properties of the resulting electrochromic indicator change uponbeing energized by a voltage source such as a coin cell or a thin-filmbattery or a capacitor, or ‘harvested’ from solar or RF radiation, orvibrations where the harvested energy may be used to charge the saidbattery or a capacitor. In practice, it is desired to maximize thechange in visual properties, such as contrast, color, pattern, or othervisual property, between the first unactivated state and the secondactivated state, while minimizing the power and time needed to completethe switching between the states.

As shown in FIG. 8, the electrochromic indicator may be constructed tohave a substrate such as a polymer plastic, PET, or other, onto which atransparent conductor, i.e. indium tin oxide (ITO) or PEDOT, isdeposited and patterned to form a visual design and electricallyisolated areas (forming at least two opposing electrodes), and anapplied layer of electrolyte. Alternatively, another conductive layer,patterned or not, is applied on top of the electrolyte, to form anopposing electrode to the one (or the ones) formed on the substrate.

In one example shown in FIG. 9, the electrochromic indicator comprises apatterned conductive layer (electrodes) and an electrolyte layercomprising in part an electrochromic material, typically disposed on asuitable substrate. The substrate may provide the mechanical support forconductors and electrolyte layers; alternatively the conductors andelectrolyte layers may be formed on a companion device such as an RFIDtag, identification card, or circuit board.

The conductive layer may be formed and patterned by mechanically orchemically etching or may be formed by laser ablation a predisposedconductive layer. Examples of transparent conductive layers are ITO,PEDOT or other suitable material. Mechanical etching is done bymachining the conductive layer. One way this is carried out on polymericsubstrate is by using a sharp blade which punctures through theconductive layer and can be mechanically driven to form a pattern andbreaking the conductive path as desired. This mechanical scribing methodof making patterns on flexible substrates is novel. The conductivecoatings can be scribed using very inexpensive equipment and is a greenprocess as it does not use chemical processes for etching. The pressureon the blade could be varied to change the penetration (if any) of theblade into the substrate. Alternatively the conductive layer (includingnon-transparent conductors) may be formed by printing techniques such asscreen or pad printing. In this case one may use substrates which arenot transparent, such as paper, cardboard, opaque polymeric films. Theelectrolyte layer may be applied using printing techniques such asscreen, pad or ink-jet. The electrolyte may be applied in the form of asolid pattern or shape, or patterned so as to form, along with thepatterned conductors, unique visual effects. When all the layers areformed by printing, then the technology lends itself to low cost labelfabrication. Thus, it is also highly desirable to minimize the number oflayers in the indicator, to ensure that the costs are low. In one highlypreferable format the opposing conductive electrodes are printed on thesubstrate, and the electrooptical medium (e.g., for electrochromicdevices, electrolyte comprising the electrochromic materials) isdeposited on top of these opposing electrodes, thereby forming theindicator with only two layers (see FIG. 9 for a two layer device, wherethe opposing electrodes are the alternating transparent conductingpixels, and the electrolyte comprises of electrochromic materials). Thestructure may be sealed with a suitable cover layer. Applying a voltageacross the opposing electrodes, causes the electrochromic device toundergo electrochemical reactions resulting in a visual change. If theelectrolyte is opaque and the conducting electrodes transparent, thevisual change is observed through the substrate. In case the conductiveelectrodes are not transparent (e.g., metallic and may even be depositedon an opaque substrate), then one can use a transparent electrolyte tobe able to see the changes when viewing through the electrolyte.

Described herein are methods and techniques for enhancing theperformance of electrochromic (ECD) indicators for improved performanceto enable the practical implementation of an intelligent label by:achieving faster activation, and improving color, contrast, and visualdistinction. An electrochromic indicator displays a visual changebetween unactivated and activated states. It is desirable to enhancethis contrast through preferred activation techniques that involve oneor more among: the length of time that the power source is applied; thenumber of times the power is applied and its polarity; the spacingbetween adjacent electrodes; the width, shape and conductivity of theelectrodes; asymmetry in the widths and spacing of electrodes; thethickness and constitution of the electrolyte; the voltage slew rate ofthe applied power; current limiting and control of applied power; theformation of leakage paths between electrodes effecting a short orpartial (resistive) short after removal of applied power; specificvoltage of applied power.

By way of example, it is normally understood to apply a predefinedvoltage level across the electrodes for one defined period. However, ithas been found that cycling the voltage to the electrode can achievedesirable transition times and contrast. The cycle can be periodic,varying, or defined by an external event, such as the charging of acapacitor. It has also been found that reversing polarity on one or moreof the cycles also obtains desirable results. Although step functionsmay be used for the application of the voltage to the electrodes, it hasbeen found that use of a slew rate or ramp provides power-efficientactivation.

Additionally, the method of activation and its variations thereof giverise to corresponding various visual effects which may be used as meansfor distinguishing authorized from un-authorized activity, e.g. forauthenticating a valid event. In one example, a suitable voltage, e.g.3V, is applied across the electrochromic material for a brief period,e.g. <1 second, initiating an electrochemical reaction at the electrodesresulting in a visual change, e.g. its color. Additionally a reversal ofthe voltage polarity for a second period, e.g. >1 second, initiates anelectrochemical reaction resulting in further visual change. Thesequence of a first applied voltage polarity and one or more subsequentreversals of voltage polarity advantageously achieve one of multipledesired changes in the visual properties of the ECD. The specificvoltage, times for applying each polarity may be adjusted and optimizedto achieve a specific desired visual effect.

The voltage required for activation may be supplied by a coin cellbattery, thin-film battery, solar cell, thermopile, mechanicalvibration, or other power source. Alternatively the power required foractivation may be derived from an incident radio frequency emission,such as from an RFID reader. Energy from the reader is harvested by anRFID chip, an RFID chip associated with a processor, or by a circuitdedicated within or alongside a processor to receive such RF energy,rectified and regulated within the chip, and used to switch theelectrochromic indicator. The RF energy may be at the same frequency asthe reader's, or may be at a different frequency and transmittedconcurrently with the reader's. In this case the energizing frequencyand power levels may be optimized for the electrochromic indicatorseparately from the communication between reader an RFID chip orprocessor.

Following the activation of the electrochromic indicator as describedabove, it may be further advantageous to provide an electricallyconductive path, e.g. a short circuit or partial short circuit, acrossthe electrochromic indicator or a separate resistive path to facilitatethe completion of the electrochromic reaction or further modify thecontrast or visual effect. In a preferred embodiment the desiredresistance is simultaneously fabricated as part of the etched orlaser-ablated pattern in the conductive layer. Resistance may be in therange of less than 1,000 to greater than 5,000 ohms. Alternatively theresistance may be internal to the processor.

A short will likely immediately kill the device and no further changecould take place. If there are multiple devices on board where one isactivated during manufacturing/testing (may not be visible even), thenone may also use the electrical characteristics of this to compare withthe electrical characteristics of the others to see if the others arepresent in an activated state or not.

An additional modification to the activation method comprises applyingmultiple (one or more) activation cycles, with each additional cyclefurther enhancing the contrast and modifying the resulting visualeffect. Further advantages can be obtained by controlling theapplication of the voltage, such as altering the rise and fall times,i.e. the slew rate; the value of the applied voltage including timeperiod for application of this voltage; and by limiting the peakcurrents. Contrast between the before-and-after states depends also onthe physical design of the electrochromic indicator, that is, on thegeometries and dimensions of the underlying conductors and the thicknessand application technique of the electrolyte. In a preferred design theconducting ‘digits’ (fingers) forming the display are advantageouslywider, being in the range of 125 to 250 microns than the spaces betweenthem, being less than 100 microns. Dimensions greater than or less thanthese values, including asymmetry in the alternating digits and spacingwidths, may also be utilized to produce specific visual enhancements andvariations.

Further variations in visual effects may be introduced by patterning theelectrolyte material, so that in combination with the patternedconductors a diversity of unique visual effects may be realized. Oneexample, an electrochromic indicator is incorporated into a wirelessdevice, such as an RFID card or tag. RFID cards and tags are commonlyavailable in many formats and compliant with industry standards, e.g.ISO 18000-C (also known as EPC Gen2). Other wireless technologies mayalso be used, such as Blue Tooth, Blue Tooth Low Energy, ZigBee, or anyof various Wi-Fi or proprietary protocols and frequencies. RFID tagswith an ECD may be used for instance in automobile registration orelectronic tolling stickers to indicate current status or expiration. Ina cold supply chain an electrochromic indicator may provide visualindication as to the condition of refrigerated shipped products that mayhave exceeded their safe temperatures.

In one example, a wireless RFID chip such as EM Microelectronics' EM4325is used as an identification and control element for an electrochromicindicator. The RFID chip may be integrated into a tag or card formatthat includes a suitably tuned antenna and battery. Flexible formats mayutilize a thin film battery, for example from Blue Spark Technologies(Westlake, Ohio). Card formats may use thin film batteries or coincells. An electrochromic indicator integrated into an RFID tag or cardfor instance may be switched upon a command from an RFID reader.Alternatively the electrochromic indicator may be switched autonomouslyand automatically by the chip based upon conditions such as elapsedtime, exceeding temperature limits, or based on other sensed conditionswhen combined with appropriate sensors. Using a commercially availableRFID chip such as the EM4325 constrains the operation of theelectrochromic indicator to the capabilities of the chip. For instancethe control of the signals, i.e. the applied voltage, to theelectrochromic indicator requires that the RFID reader send separatelytransmitted commands to the RFID chip to sequentially turn the appliedvoltage ON and OFF. Thus the time required for an optimum activationcycle demands that the reader remain in constant communication for theentire time duration. Certain of these limitations may be overcome byprescribing an activation sequence in which a brief initial phase placesthe chip and electrochromic indicator into a specific state that canpersist indefinitely without the need for ongoing communication with thereader. One such sequence would comprise first establishing acommunication with the chip, followed by a short first activation, i.e.less than one second, and then followed by a second command to reversethe voltage polarity, and then leaving the chip in this stateindefinitely without further interaction with the reader.

The electrical parameters for switching the electrochromic device mayfurther be altered depending on conditions such as ambient temperatureor pressure to compensate for changes in the reaction times of thedevice under these varying conditions. For instance a control chipcomprising temperature or pressure sensing capability can alter theactivation times and voltages to optimize the switching characteristicseven though the ambient conditions may change. In one example the RFIDchip provides the ability to pre-establish (i.e. pre-program) one ormore activation sequences. In this case the reader and chip need onlyremain in communication for a very brief time to trigger the desiredactivation process, whereby the chip has the ability to perform theentirety of the process without further interaction with the reader.

In another example, a character or symbol may comprise multiple sectionsor segments of electro-optical material. In some cases, it may bedesirable to activate each segment separately, and in an order ofpredefined priority. In this way, segments that convey the most neededinformation could be set first, and then, if time or power permits, theother segments could be activated. For example, if the intelligent labelis unusually cold or hot, there may be difficulty in getting allsegments activated with the available power. Additionally, it will beunderstood that one or several segments could be minimally activated sothe desired information is presented, although in a dim contrast. Then,with time and power permitting, the segments could be darkened orenhanced for easier reading.

Enabled Applications

Referring now to FIG. 6, a method 100 for using an intelligent label isshown. Method 100 uses an intelligent label, such as intelligent label75 described with reference to FIG. 4. As illustrated in block 105, thelabel is first armed during the manufacturing process for the label, ormay be armed just prior to use by activating its power source. As such,the label operates in an extreme low-power mode, and in some cases maybe constructed so as not to consume any power whatsoever until time foractivation. When it is time to apply the label to a good or package forshipping, the label is actuated such that the label becomeselectronically active as shown in block 107. The act of preparing andapplying the label 121 electrically activates the processor and may beuseful for starting a timer 123. In this way, the intelligent label isable to capture a time, that may include the current date and time, thatthe label has been attached to the good.

Concurrently with starting the timer, the state of the electrochromicindicator is changed 125 so that those applying the label can see thatthe label has been properly activated. Shipping data 127 may then bestored for the package, which includes information regarding the item,the date and time the label was applied, ship-to data, and other datathat may be useful for shipping of the item. In some cases, theintelligent label will have a sensor that can also be activated 129. Aspart of the activation process, specific rules as to allowableenvironmental conditions may be set, as well as rules regarding time forshipment. It will be understood that many different rules may be set forthe intelligent label. Most typically, the communication with theintelligent label will be done through a wireless radio frequencycommunication, such as RFID, Bluetooth, or 802.11

If a sensor is active on the intelligent label, then sensor monitoringprocess 102 is engaged. During process 102, the computer processormonitors the sensor 141 and detects the current condition of the sensoras shown in block 143. The sensor data may then be stored and comparedto rules as shown in block 145. The processor and monitor continue tomonitor the proscribed environment conditions throughout the transportprocess 109. During the transport process, the intelligent label willshow that the product is in the good state as shown in block 151.Provided the sensor detects some abnormality in the environmentcondition, or a required time is running close, then the product may beset to a caution state is shown in block 153. Finally, if the sensor hasdetected catastrophic environmental conditions, or time has run out onthe shipping rules, then the product may have its electrochromicindicator set to indicate a bad state as shown in block 161. In eachcase 151, 153, 161 the processor would send the appropriate electricalsignals to the electrochromic indicator next to a human readableindicator for the state of the good. In another example as shown inblock 166, further information may be derived from sensor and timer dataand used to modify an electrochromic material to set a more data-richdisplay code. Depending upon the complexity of the code, significantinformation may be visually communicated to someone without the abilityto wirelessly interrogate intelligently, and do so simply by reading ahash code.

As the product moves through the supply chain 109 at each point in thetransaction the intelligent label is able to store shipping data 132 andfinal delivery data 134. Typically, this information is stored andmodified in the intelligent label using a wireless RF communication.Also, at each point in the shipping transaction the shipping informationwill often be collected and communicated to a central database by theshipper, so that both the original shipper and the ultimate consumer maytrack the product through the shipping process. Finally, the end-userconsumer receives the product 111. In some cases, the final deliverypoint may be able to store delivery information in the intelligent labelas shown in block 136. At each point in the transportation process 109and at the time of receiving the good 111, the intelligent labeladvantageously shows a visual indication of whether or not the productis good or not good. In this way, the receiver of the good is able tomake an informed choice whether or not it is receiving a good in workingcondition or that is appropriately fresh. The temporal and optionallyany other electronic information on the activation of visual indicatorsmay also be communicated from the label and stored in this database.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a process 200 using an intelligent label isillustrated. In one example, process 200 uses an intelligent label suchas the intelligent label 75 illustrated with reference to FIG. 4. Inblock 202 the label is applied to a package, and in the process ofapplying the label, the label is activated as shown in block 201. Inthis way, the label is able to robustly and accurately collect the timeand day that the label is applied to the package, which begins theshipping process. In block 204, a wireless communication may be used bythe shipper to register the package information captured at time ofshipping, which then may be collected at the central data collection248. The shipping product may then be transferred to one or morecarriers for delivery as shown in block 206. Each time the goodtransfers carrier, were transfers to a new route of a single carrier,the carrier or carriers will capture data 222 and confirm the integrity224 of the good. Again, as these carriers tend to be professionalcarriers, it is likely they will have the motivation to invest insignificant wireless indication devices for communicating directly withthe intelligent label using RFID, and for storing additional informationin the intelligent label. In some cases, however, the presence of theelectrochromic indicator is still useful for confirming integrity 224.For example, a fork lift driver may see that the electrochromicmaterials for a particular palette of goods is indicating the goods areno longer fresh. This would place the forklift driver on notice that thegoods should not be accepted and transferred into the next carrier orthe next leg of the route. Again, information wirelessly collected byeach of the carriers is likely transmitted to a central data location.

The good eventually is transferred to a user, for example, by deliveringthe good into a mailbox for the user as shown in block 211. The carriermay be able to capture some date at 228 and confirm integrity 231electronically at the time of delivery if the delivery vehicles areequipped with portable RFID readers. In other cases, the carrier wouldbe able to visually look at the package and assure it was of goodquality before placing in the mailbox. To the extent data was collectedelectronically, the information again would be transferred to a centraldata location 248. At some point, the consumer will receive the productas shown in block 214. In most cases, the end user will not have theability to interrogate the intelligent label using a wireless RFIDreader. Instead, the user will verify whether or not the product is good236 by looking at the state of the electrochromic indicator. If furtherinformation is needed regarding the product, the user may be able totake a picture of the label, including any barcode or graphicalinformation, and captured data as shown at block 234. In this way, ifthe end consumer needs to interact with the service department of thecompany providing the good showed a block 218, the user will be able touse scanned barcode information 241 to send to the service rep toquickly and accurately identify the good that was shipped. In oneexample, if the electrochromic material shows that the product is notgood, it would not be possible without wirelessly interrogating theintelligent label to know when the product went bad. For example, thefinal shipper may have placed it in the mailbox when it was a goodstate, but the user may have waited several days to collect the goodfrom the mailbox. When the end consumer calls the service department allthey would be able to communicate is that the product is bad.Accordingly, in some cases the smart label may be able to report a hashcode to 45. This hash code may be derived from significant informationregarding the handling or conditions for the good. For example, the hashcode could be set to a particular code if the product was dropped intothe mailbox in a good condition, and with more than minimum amount oftime remaining in its freshness life. Thus, by knowing the code, theservice department would be able to accurately determine if the timedelay was from the carrier or from the consumer being lax in retrievingthe good from the mailbox. In this way, the company's serviceorganization would be able to retrieve significant information regardingthe shipping process and environmental conditions for the good withoutthe need for returning the label to the company, or having the end-usertake the good someplace for wireless interrogation. Further, theinformation can be used to provide feedback and improvement to theoverall shipping process.

It is increasingly desirable and feasible to add ultra-low powerelectrical functions such as RF communications, sensors, displays andelectrical state indicators, memory, conditional rules/logic,clocks/timers etc. (“Electrical Functions”) to a wide range of itemsincluding tags, labels, documents, forms, envelopes, boxes and othertypes of packaging, payment/pre-paid cards (“Items”).

Adoption however continues to be slow because the benefits implicitlydepend on remote/external systems (e.g. RFID). Systems and methods thatdepend on remote/eternal systems are inherently costly and they dependon a level of compliance among the participants that seriouslydiminishes their effectiveness and critically, their conformance toexisting business practices. Due to the current state of the art, thealternative is standalone devices, typically utilizing discretecomponents that are too costly and cumbersome for wide scale adoption(at the pallet, much less item level).

It is important to note that the ultimate goal of many applications inthis area (and the key to adoption) is simply to enable intelligentactions on the part of persons in proximity to the Item: e.g. theloading dock employee in charge of receiving (or rejecting) deliveries,the doctor deciding whether (or not) to dispense a drug of unknownpedigree or provenance, or the consumer deciding whether (or not) toconsume (and pay for) products delivered directly to their homes.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a label 210 made according to the teachingsof this invention. Label shows electrochromic indicator 211 incommunication with “Electrical functions” 217 comprising amicroprocessor 212 and an optional sensor 216. The microprocessor is incommunication with an energy source 213. A human readable indicia isshown as 214. Human readable indicia provides instructions on the actionto be taken when the electrochromic indicator 211 has changed to acertain state, and in this case to a blue color. In a label onlyelectrochromic indicator 211 and the human readable indicia 214 may bevisible, and the other components may be hidden by placing a cover onthe other components. This cover may have other printed detailsregarding the item or good. If the energy source is a solar cell, thenit is exposed to interact with the ambient lighting.

FIG. 12 shows an example of another label 220 made according to theteachings of this invention. Label shows electrochromic indicator 221 incommunication with “Electrical functions” 227 comprising amicroprocessor 222 and an optional antenna 225. The Electrical Functionsis in communication with an energy source 223. Human readable indicia isshown as 224. The antenna communicates with external sources to transmitthe state of the label or for example receive information (inputs and/orcondition variables) from outside to activate the electrochromicindicator. Actuator is not shown in these figures, and one may createseveral permutations and combinations of features on these labels.

Conditional Rules may be used by a processor on the label, and aretypically expressed as mathematical algorithms that effect an actiononce specific conditions are met (e.g. activate an electrochromicindicator). The conditions are often expressed as variables(“Conditional Variables”). The Conditional Rules in conjunction withConditional Variables and inputs (“Inputs”) received from sensors,clock/timers, subroutines etc. determine whether the conditions havebeen met. If they are, then a new ‘state’ has occurred and one or moreoutcomes are affected e.g. an electrochromic indicator is activatedvisually indicating the occurrence of the new state. The meaning of thenew state would typically be communicated by human readable indiciaproximate the electrochromic indicator (and corresponding to theConditional Rule). Some of the condition rules may be stored on thelabel as tables and/or algorithms in the module providing ElectricalFunction or may be accessed by the Electrical Function by communicatingwith an external source through an antenna and/or through the sensors.

Conditional Rules may have certain rules which may be integrative, e.g.,time-temperature integration leading to a condition, vs. strictlyalgebraic where if certain parameters exceed a limit, for exampleexceeding a prescribed time or temperature will result in an actiontriggering a change in the label. One may also combine these types offactors. Electronic state indicators are constructed as electrochromicindicators, and are devices that visually indicate ‘states’. Preferablyan electrochromic indicator is activated by ultra-low power, bi-stablepre and post activation, or is irreversible. And further, preferably canbe integrated into a label with an appropriate physical form factor. Anexample of a desirable ESI is an electrochromic display of the kinddescribed in published US patent application Flexible and PrintableElectrooptic Devices (2011/0096388), the disclosure of this applicationis incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in its entirety. Insome applications it is desirable that the visual state of theelectrochromic indicator can be confirmed electronically, e.g., thevisual change is accompanied by a change in impedance or voltage, e.g.,“State Detection”.

The human readable indicia visually communicate the ‘meaning’ ofcorresponding electrochromic indicator and their state. The humanreadable indicia are typically printed and preferably located proximatetheir corresponding electrochromic indicator. However, in the case of anelectrochromic indicator in which one state is substantiallytransparent, the human readable indicator can be printed beneath theelectrochromic material. In this way, the ability for the human to readthe human readable indicator would be determined are the transparency oropaqueness of the electrochromic material. The human readable indiciacan be added to a Label at any time it is advantageous to do so, e.g.anywhere from the point the Label is manufactured to the point it isapplied to an Item.

The electrical functions on the intelligent label may include logic andmemory, power management functions, one or more sensors, radiofrequencyor other communication interfaces, or state indicators for determiningthe state of the electric chromatic material. It will appreciate thatother electronic functions may be added according to applicationspecific needs for particular shipping or item requirements.

In some cases, the intelligent label may include electronic circuitryfor performing state detection of the electrochromic indicator. Moreparticularly, the date detection circuitry may at a particular timedetermine the state of the electrochromic indicator, or it may be ableto detect a change in the state of the electochromatic material. In somecases this may be done by a direct electrical interrogation of thecharacteristics of the electrochromic indicator, and in other cases maybe done by sensing the changes in the circuit used to activate theelectrochromic indicator. Changes in the activating signal correspondingto a change in the state of the electrochromic indicator, correspondingto the outcome of a Conditional Rule. The detected state, typicallybeing stored in memory and along with associative information related tothe corresponding Conditional Rule (e.g. the relative or absolute timethe Conditional Rule was met, the Inputs were received that triggeredthe Conditional Rule and the outcome(s) affected (e.g. a signal wastransmitted to the ESI). And depending on the ESI, the length of time itwas visually communicating the changed state (e.g. how long the ESIremained in the changed state). A State Detection function serves toconfirm that an ESI did in fact change, thus visually communicating astate change in accordance to a corresponding Conditional Rule. Inpractice, the State Detection function and associatively stored data,provides means to authenticate the visual display of the state changeand audit actions, or lack thereof, taken on the part of anyone claimingto have seen the label.

An energy source that powers the electrical functions on the intelligentlabel may include sources such as a battery, charged capacitor, solarcell, or antenna/receptor that receives energy from anexternal/proximate source, or a combination of sources. Labels mayinclude one or more actuators (“Actuators”) that activate the Label(e.g. that initiate Conditional Rules, clock/timers, sensors, datalogging, ESI etc. upon activation). Multiple actuators may be used toactivate different Electrical Functions at different times e.g. when anItem is shipped (a package is sealed) and when the Item is received (thepackage is opened). Exemplary Actuators include such as those describedin US provisional patent applications Physical Actuator for Labels (U.S.provisional application 61/955,237), Separator Actuators for Labels(U.S. provisional application 61/955,236), and Seal Actuator (U.S.provisional application 61/955,236), each of which is incorporatedherein as if set forth in their entirety. Actuators may also be RFsignals if the Label is equipped with an RF interface, electricalsignals if the Label is equipped with an electrical interface, amechanical force if the Label is equipped with an electro-mechanicalinterface, an optical signal if the Label is configured with an opticalinterface etc.

It is desirable for the Conditional Rules and Conditional Variables tobe relevant to the Item to which the Label is actually applied.Different goods will have different sensitivity to environmentalconditions, age, allowable time of transmit, approved distributors andretailers and shippers, and particular requirements for customerdelivery. Since the particular Item is often unknown until the Label isabout to be applied to it, it is desirable to have simple systems andmethods to dynamically program the appropriate Conditional Rules andConditional Variables into Labels and to print the corresponding humanreadable indicia onto the Label.

In this regard, the Conditional Rules and corresponding ConditionalVariables and human readable indicia may be grouped to form a profile(“Profile”). The components of a Profile can be selected fromappropriate databases or customized. Individual Items are typicallygrouped into one or more categories or classes each with a correspondingidentifier (“Class ID”), e.g. an SKU. The Class ID can be associatedwith a Profile so that when an Item is identified, its Class ID can beused to identify the appropriate Profile and corresponding ConditionalRules and Conditional Variables can then be written to memory in theLabel and concurrently the human readable indicia printed on the Label.The same process can be used to select Conditional Rules and ConditionalVariables pre written (already in the Label's memory—e.g. defaultvalues). Profile values can be dynamically completed or updated. Asingle Label may support multiple Items of different classes (e.g. asingle box with multiple Items belonging to multiple Classes) thus morethan one Profile may be used with a single Label. A single ConditionalRule can activate more than one electrochromic indicator.

It is also desirable to have simple, easy to understand systems andmethods for automatically and robustly activating Electrical Functionson the intelligent label that gets associated with a particular item. Itis particularly desirable that this activation be an automatic byproductof existing and required shipping processes: e.g. sealing an envelope,bag, box or other packaging, a document or label, and be done at a knownpoint in a process: e.g. when an Item is sealed prior to being mailed orshipped, stored, or unsealed prior to being opened. In one example, theactivation is accomplished using an existing function associated withsealing a package or applying a label to the package. A Seal Actuator isone or more articles comprising in part two surfaces (“Surfaces”)configured so that when the Surfaces are adhered or otherwise physicallycoupled to each other (“Sealed”) they complete a circuit (“Circuit”).The Surfaces may be on the same article (such as an envelope configuredso that when folded two surfaces meet/seal) or separate articles (suchas sealing tape and a box). The Circuit comprises in part, a gap (“Gap”)that when conductively bridged, completes the Circuit activating one ormore Electrical Functions. A conductive element (“Bridge”) is located onthe Surface opposing the one with the Gap, and configured so that whenthe Surfaces are sealed, the Bridge conductively bridges the Gap andcompletes the Circuit. The Bridge may be any conductive material orcombination of materials and means, that separately or in combinationconductively bridge the Gap when the Surfaces are sealed. The ElectricalFunctions and an Energy Source are disposed on, or proximate theSurfaces. Preferably the Electrical Functions include an electrochromicindicator that visually communicates that the Item (ElectricalFunctions) has been activated (sealed). In some applications it may beadvantageous to include a power management function so that the Bridgeneeds only to enable a detectable, hence ultra-low power signal forElectronic Functions to be activated.

Exemplary seal actuators. In the various examples illustrated below,only the gap and bridge need to be on opposing Surfaces. The ElectricalFunctions and the Energy Source can be located on either Surface. A sealactuator is provided such that a circuit is in an open condition whenthe package is not sealed, and upon sealing the package, the circuit iscompleted, thereby enabling a signal to be sent to the electronics ofthe intelligent label, including the processor. In particular, one sideof the sealing structure contains an electric circuit with a gap in aconductor, and the other sealing surface contains a bridge, that whenthe seal is engaged, bridges the gap.

A Seal Actuator that is used in conjunction with a power managementfunctions and Electronic Functions to activate and enable the ElectronicFunctions, which may be further indicated with an electrochromicindicator. Conductive inks and adhesives are available for Bridgeelements, or connecting label components. EMC (www.conductives.com) and3M (www.3m.com) offer ranges of suitable conductive adhesive products,including silver thermoset ink, carbon ink, z-axis and isotropicconductive film adhesives. Such products may be used directly as aBridge element, or as an adhesive for connecting a discrete bridge, e.g.a metal foil element or wire micro-filament.

A typical power management function implementation of involves voltagesensing on a specified input(s) causing the circuit to leave the sleepstate and become active. Typically a change in the voltage on thesensing input, i.e. an “edge”, triggers a wake-up event. The sensedvoltage may be the same source of voltage as that which fully powers theCircuit when awakened. This can be achieved by connecting a power sourceto the sensing input via a conducting path, e.g. a bridge. The sensinginput may be a FET or other input that inherently draws negligiblecurrent in itself. When a bridge is removed or added, e.g. when theCircuit is made or broken, the voltage changes, the edge is detected bythe wake-up block and further activates a power management portion ofthe circuit, and subsequently activating the Electrical Functions.

FIG. 12a shows one example of a seal actuator 300. Seal actuator 300 hasa lower seal portion that has two circuit conductors that extend to theelectronic circuitry of the intelligent label. However, as shown, thecircuit has a gap such that the circuit remains in an open condition aslong as the upper flap (second surface) remains in its unsealedposition. The second surface, which is above the envelope fold, has asealing adhesive. A conductive bridge sets in the sealing adhesive, andis positioned so that when the envelope is closed, the bridge willelectrically close the gap. In the unactivated state, the electrochromicindicator remains white, so that it is visually obvious to shippingpersonnel that this envelope is available for use and has not yet beenactivated.

When an item has been inserted into the envelope, and the shippingpersonnel are ready to send the package, the shipping personnel fold thesecond surface such that it contacts and seals against the firstsurface. In doing so, the envelope is sealed by the sealing adhesive,and the bridge is enabled to electrically connect across the circuitgap. In this way, the processor is notified that the envelope is nowsealed, and the processor can proceed to capture the exact time and dateof sealing, and send the appropriate electrical signal to theelectrochromic indicator to change its state. FIG. 12b shows theenvelope after sealing. The second surface has been adhered to the firstsurface, and the processor has activated the electrochromic materialsuch that electric chromatic material is now black. In this way,shipping personnel are automatically notified that a proper seal andtimestamp have been obtained.

FIG. 12c shows a slight modification 310 from the sealing actuatordescribed with reference to FIGS. 12a and 12b . In FIG. 12c , the sameelectrical bridge and gap construction is used, however the electricelectrochromatic material is positioned such that it will be located inthe flap, rather than further down on the first surface. To facilitateviewing the electric electrochromatic indicator after activation, a holeis placed in the second surface flat. In this way, as shown in FIG. 12d, a user is still able to clearly see the state of the electroicchromatic material.

FIG. 13a shows another example of a seal actuator 325. Seal actuator 325has a lower seal portion that has two circuit conductors that extend tothe electronic circuitry of the intelligent label. However, as shown,the circuit has a gap such that the circuit remains in an open conditionas long as the upper flap, second surface, remains in its on sealedposition. The second surface, which is above the envelope fold, has asealing adhesive typically covered by a removable paper. A conductivebridge sets below the removable paper, such that if the second surfaceis accidentally pressed against the lower portion, the circuit will notengage. In the unactivated state, the electrochromic indicator remainswhite, so that it is visually obvious to shipping personnel that thisenvelope is available for use.

When an item has been inserted into the envelope, and the shippingpersonnel are ready to send the package, the removable paper is removedfrom the sealing adhesive as shown in FIG. 13b , exposing both theadhesive and the conductive bridge. Shipping personnel fold the secondsurface such that it contacts and sealed against the first surface. Indoing so, the envelope is sealed by the sealing adhesive, and the bridgeis enabled to electrically connect across the circuit gap. In this way,the processor is notified that the envelope is now sealed, and theprocessor can proceed to capture the exact time and date of sealing, andsend the appropriate electrical signal to the electrochromic indicatorto change its state. FIG. 13c shows the envelope after sealing. Thesecond surface has been adhered to the first surface, and the processorhas activated the electrochromic material such that electrochromicmaterial is now black. In this way, shipping personnel are automaticallynotified that a proper seal and timestamp have been obtained.

Electro-Optic Indicator

The electrochromic indicator used on the intelligent label has beenparticularly formulated, constructed, and activated for enablement of aneconomically feasible intelligent label. Such indicators, theirconstruction and materials used have been fully set out in published USpatent application number 20110096388, which is incorporated herein asif set forth in its entirety.

The electorchromic (EC) display devices may comprise of several layers,sometimes the EC material (a preferred category of an electroopticmaterial) is located on an electrode as a separate layer from theelectrolyte, and sometimes EC material may be both in the electrolyteand in additional layers, and yet in other cases it may solely reside inthe electrolyte. Since one of the primary objective of the invention islow cost products, it is preferred to reduce the number of layers in anEC device, thus those EC devices where the EC material is resident onlyin electrolytes and additional electrochemically active layers are notused and are most preferred device constructions. Redoxmaterials/species are those that undergo electrochemical oxidation andreduction upon device activation, and these may be reversible orirreversible. During use, the device is activated by applying apotential across the opposing electrodes, i.e., the negative polarityelectrode is cathode and the positive polarity electrode is an anode.Cathodic redox undergo reduction at the cathode and the anodic redoxundergo oxidation at the anode. In addition, it is preferred that all ofthe layers are printed sequentially until the device is complete.

The electrolytes that are deposited by printing should become solidafter deposition. This may be due to the removal of a solvent, coolingor by further reaction (e.g. polymerization and/or crosslinking). Theelectrolytes may be hydrophilic or hydrophobic (latter are preferred).For hydrophilic electrolytes those systems are preferred where thedevice performance is not dependent too much on water content, otherwisethe performance of this device will change when subjected to differentenvironmental conditions.

There may be several methods to create such devices. One method tocreate the EC indicators is described in US patent applications2008/0204850 and 2007/0139756. These devices use predominantly use avapor deposited metal layer as a color changing material that isoxidized upon device activation causing a permanent image change.However, these devices use at least two additional layers in addition toa conductive layer (which may be also a transparent conductor). A morepreferred method is the one taught in published US patent applicationnumber 20110096388 where redox agents (e.g., monomers) are present inthe electrolyte that become colored upon polymerization which isinitiated by applying the activation voltage to the device, and thatthis polymerization cannot be reversed. Typically the polymerizedmaterial deposits on one of the electrodes. These are particularlysuitable for those applications where only a single activation or apermanent change is required. Many polymers are conjugated and hencedeeply colored, whereas their monomers are not. The literature isreplete with examples where such polymer coatings are formed onconductive electrodes by electrochemical or chemical methods. Thesesubstrates where such coatings are deposited are then used to fabricateEC devices. In the completed EC devices, these coatings areelectrochemically reduced and oxidized reversibly to change their color.However, those EC devices have not been taught before where the completedevice itself contains a monomer, and the mechanism of coloration of thedevice upon electrical activation is by polymerizing this monomer suchthat a colored polymer is formed. Formation of this polymer also leadsto a irreversible change in the device from a first to a second opticalstate. In one embodiment, the device is assembled with monomer in theelectrolyte (i.e., the monomer is present in the electrolyte of thecompleted device), and the electrochromic activity in the completeddevice is derived by a polymerization process caused by electricallyactivating the device during its use. Further, the monomer polymerizes(electro-polymerization) at one of the electrodes resulting in a coloredspecies. If this coating has a reasonably good adhesion to theelectrode, the image does not smudge with time as the polymer or thecolored species does not migrate. Depending on the composition of theelectrolyte, the above device may change from the second to a thirdoptical state upon reversing polarity, and further in some cases thechange between the second and the third optical state may be reversibleor bistable. These bistable changes can be caused by a reversible changein the redox state of the polymer (i.e., polymerized monomer) which wasformed in the first activation step.

There are several known EC devices which make use of monomers to depositelectrochromic EC layers as described earlier. Also there are EC deviceswhere EC devices are fabricated with monomers in the electrolyticformulations, but these monomers are polymerized thermally or byradiation to solidify the electrolyte but not to cause a color change byactivation of the device. However, the use of monomers in theelectrolyte of finished devices, where the monomers polymerize to acolored state upon polymerization is novel. A few examples of these willbe discussed to clearly bring out distinctions between the past devicesand the present invention and teachings. PCT application WO 2006/008776describes addition of oligomers (all polymerizable materials areconsidered as monomers in this patent application) to the electrolyte,where such monomers are polymerized to change the liquid electrolyte toa solid electrolyte for forming mechanically self-supporting solidelectrolyte layers. This polymerization does not lead to anelectrochromic effect and do not contemplate a presence of a monomer ina finished device where the electrochromic change is caused bypolymerization activity of this monomer. In other words, a finisheddevice constructed according to the teachings of WO 2006/008776 has nomonomers present which are polymerized to cause an electrochromic changewhile such devices are in placed in service. In the present invention,one may use a first polymerizable monomer in the electrolyte along witha second monomer which will lead to the electrochromic effect. The firstmonomer is polymerized during device processing so that a liquidelectrolytic formulation is printed, and the first monomer ispolymerized (by heat or UV, etc.) to convert this liquid into a solidlayer. The second monomer is still present in the solid layer (as redoxor electrochromic material) and continues to be present in the finisheddevice. When the device is activated during use, the second monomer ispolymerized at one of the electrodes and results in a change of color(electrochromic). As another prior art example which is different fromthe teachings of the present invention is in U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,100. Inthis patent an electrochromic monomer aniline is polymerized to yield anelectrochromic electrode by dipping a conductive electrode in a monomersolution. The polymerized monomer (or the electrochromic polyanilineelectrode) has a different color. This electrode with the polymerizedlayer is removed from this solution, and is then used further tofabricate a device by combining this with an electrolyte and an opposingelectrode. In the finished device the reversible electrochromicproperties are derived by repeatedly oxidizing and reducing thepolymeric (polyaniline) layer by extracting or inserting ions from theelectrolyte, there is no monomer (or aniline) present in the finisheddevice which will result in the desired electrochromic properties uponactivation. However, in the present invention, electrochromic monomer ispresent in the electrolyte of the finished device and the device is inits first optical state, and when the device is activated during use,the monomer from the electrolyte deposits on one of the electrodes andsimultaneously polymerizes. This polymer is of a different color andcauses an irreversible change which results in the device going to asecond optical state. This is an irreversible change as the devicecannot go from the second to the first optical state by simply reversingthe potential where the polymer depolymerizes into the initial monomer.Depending on the composition of the electrolyte, it is certainlypossible to reversibly change the second optical state of the depositedpolymer into a third optical state by further reducing or oxidizing thispolymer layer, and it may even be possible that the optical statesbetween the second and the third state are reversible by applyingappropriate voltage to the device. However, an optical change from thefirst optical state to the second optical state is permanent.

There are many materials that can be electro-polymerized from colorlessor faintly colored monomers to deeply colored polymers that absorb allor part of the visible radiation. Those materials are preferred whichupon polymerization form conductive polymers. Some of theseelectrochemically active polymers useful in the instant inventioninclude (which can be polymerized from their monomers present in theelectrolyte), without limitation, polyphenylene vinylenes,polythienylene vinylenes, polyalkoxythienylene vinylenes, polyfurylenevinylenes, polythiophenes, polyisothianaphthenes, polyanilines,polyarylamines, polyindoles, polypyrroles, polyalkoxyphenylenes,polyphenylenes, polyperinaphthalenes, polynaphthylamines,polyvinylmetalocenes, polymers of heteroaryls linked to metals (e.g. seeUS patent application 2007/0191576), carbon cluster (fullerenes) andcarbon cluster containing polymers, polyimides, polyviologens. Otherelectrochemically active polymeric materials which may be employed inthe present invention include, without limitation, derivatives of theaforementioned polymers, such as those prepared by sulfonation orsubstitution, copolymers (from a mixture of monomers), blends andcomposites, where the matrix may be organic or inorganic but at leastone of the components is from the polymers or their derivativesdescribed above. Further, depending on the specific monomer one canobtain different colors. Thus multicolored images and displays may beformed.

FIGS. 14a and 14b show an EC device 500 using two active layers which isformed using the teaching of this invention. The device 501 in FIG. 14aa is not in activated state, and the device 502 in FIG. 14b has beenactivated during use causing a non-reversible electrochromic change. Inboth of these devices only one set of pixel is shown for clarity. Inboth of these figures a substrate is shown which is used to form thisdevice. This substrate may be transparent and may be part of thesubstrate which is used to form the smart label. The two conductiveelectrodes CE-1 and CE-2) are formed on the substrate. These may betransparent (e.g., ITO) or non-transparent such as metallic. Typicallythese may be formed by first deposition of a uniform conductiveelectrode and then selectively etching them to form the two oppositeelectrodes, or these may be printed in the desired pattern so that noetching is required. For indicators, it is preferred that when the twoelectrodes are on the same substrate, that interdigitated pattern beused so that there is a long path length along which the depositiontakes place making the indicator appear dense with high contrast.Printable inks which comprise of conductive particles (transparent, ormetallic, micro or nanosized particles) can be used and then cured (orsolidified) after printing by either removal of solvent, polymerizationof a binder material or sintering of the conductive particles, or byseveral of these mechanisms working simultaneously. Once this is done anelectrolyte is deposited which comprises an irreversible redox material,such as a monomer. The electrolyte may be deposited by printing and thislayer and is solidified (or cured) either by removing a solvent or bypolymerization of another monomer in the electrolyte by radiation (suchas UV) or heat. This layer is then protected by a cover (e.g., apressure sensitive tape, an adhesive layer, or a film/sheet which issealed at the perimeter, etc.). The finished device on the label isconnected by connecting the two opposing electrodes to the poweringelectronics.

When a voltage or power is applied across these conductive electrodes,the electrochromic change from optical state 1 to the optical state 2occurs by polymerization of the monomer from the electrolyte whichdeposits on one of the conductive electrodes as shown in FIG. 14b . Thischange is permanent, i.e., optical state 1 cannot be attained bydepolymerizing of the deposited coating. If the substrate and theconductive electrodes are transparent, the electrolyte may be opaque andthe optical change or the color change is observed when viewed throughthe substrate. When the substrate or the conductive electrodes are nottransparent then a transparent electrolyte and cover is used so that theoptical change can be observed from the top (through the cover).

An advantage of these devices is their durability or permanence, i.e.,being able to visually differentiate the activated and the non-activatedstate even after the labels have been subject to harsh environmentalconditions or stored for a long period of time, such as a year and morepreferably several years. The non-activated device in FIG. 14a has theredox monomer uniformly distributed in the electrolyte, whereas inactivated state as shown in FIG. 14b a new coating is formed in selectedportion of the indicator. Even if both of these devices were put todurability test under long periods of time or severe environmentalconditions, such as several years of storage, elevated temperature test(e.g., 85 C for 10 days, preferably for 30 days), moist conditions(placing them in water or high humidity at 85% RH at 85 C for 10 days,preferably for 30 days) or subject them to UV under heat (e.g.,subjecting labels to a test such as Society of Automotive Engineer'stest method J1960 for 500 hours or preferably for 2,000 hours), theelectrolyte containing the monomer (non-activated state) will degradedifferently as compared to that area of the electrode where the coloredpolymer has been deposited (activated state). The monomer and thepolymer are different materials, and further since the polymer isconjugated and localized, the visual perception of the indicator afterthe above testing will still be different in these samples which are inthese two states (i.e., after testing, one can still tell them apart).This is based on expectation that the optical properties during testingchange for labels in both states but the change is differential and notthe same for both. This sort of permanence or durability to preserve theintended state of the indicator is important in many applications.

Preferred redox monomers are those which upon electrically activatedpolymerization result in the formation of conductive polymers. Once thispolymer layer is formed, and since it is electronically conductive(e.g., polythiophene), one may apply a reverse potential, typically of asmaller magnitude to oxidize or reduce the formed polymer so that itsoptical state 2 can be changed again to an optical state 3. In somecases if the polarity is reversed, the optical state of the polymer isalso reversed from optical state 3 to optical state 2. Thus this devicecan combine a unique character of a non-reversible change from anoptical state 1 to an optical state 2 followed by a reversible changebetween optical state 2 to optical state 3. Since a new layer ofmaterial is formed due to an irreversible change, this also results inchanges in resistance/impedance of the device. This change can be usedto electronically probe or verify the state of the device, i.e., if itis in optical state 1 or a different optical state. One may also thistype of system to make a device where an electrolyte layer is laminatedbetween two substrates each having a conductive layer (to serve as theelectrode). In this case at least one of the substrates and theconductors is transparent and uses three layers (two conductiveelectrodes and one electrolyte layer). When the device is powered oractivated, the contrast changing material is deposited on one of thoseelectrodes which is transparent.

The electrolyte may also comprise of other materials such assolubilizing medium (high boiling point electrolytic solvents, ionicliquids, etc.), ion conductive salt (dissociable lithium and/or sodiumsalts), additional redox materials (complimentary redox materials whichmay or may not polymerize, but facilitate the polymerization of theredox material by undergoing redox activity at the opposing electrode,e.g., viologen salts to be used as complimentary materials forthiophenes polymerizing at the anode, or additional complimentary redoxlayers), matrix forming polymers (polymers providing a solid form to theelectrolytes, or those monomers which polymerize/crosslink duringprocessing to form these solid electrolytes), UV stabilizers andabsorbers, viscostity/thixotropy control additives, colorants,opacifiers, adhesion promotion agents, etc. A particularly preferredembodiment is to use hydrophobic ionic liquids in the electrolyte toimpart low moisture sensitivity to the devices. Details on many of theseingredients, are listed in US patent application number 20110096388, thedisclosure of which is included herein by reference.

EXAMPLES OF EC INDICATORS Example 1 Preparation of an EC Indicator withOpaque Electrolyte

Unless mentioned, all chemicals were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich(Milwaukee, Wis.). To a sure seal bottle fitted with a stir bar wasadded the PMMA (0.3 g, 15,000 molecular weight), acetonitrile (0.733 ml)and hydrophobic ionic liquid (0.49 g of 1-Butyl-1-methylpyrrolidiniumbis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide from Iolitec, Germany). The bottle wassealed and stirred at room temperature for two hours to form a slightlyopaque colorless liquid. The bottle was transferred to a argon filledglove box and the 2,2′ bithiophene (redox monomer, 0.041 g)and lithiumimide (0.14 g of Fluorad HQ115salt from 3M, St. Paul, Minn.) was added.The bottle was sealed and stirred for one hour to form a solution. Tothis solution was added the fumed silica (0.33 g) and TiO2 (0.3 g R996obtained from DuPont, Wilmington, Del.) powders and the mixture stirredovernight. This resulted in a white liquid with a viscosity slightlyhigher than water (free flowing). Viscosity of the electrolyte wasmeasured at 25° C. using a Brookfield Model DV-III+ programmableviscometer (Middleboro, Mass. 02346). The viscometer was calibratedusing silicone oil standards. The electrolyte viscosity at a shear rateof 960 s-1 was 35 centipoise. These viscosities are suitable for padprinting, and one could decrease the solvent and/or increase fumedsilica content to make more viscous electrolytes suitable for screenprinting. Use of titanium dioxide imparted opacity to the electrolyte.

A drop of this electrolyte was placed on an ITO substrate and heated at50 oC for fifteen minutes. The electrolyte turned to a bright whitesolid with a tacky consistency which adhered well to ITO.

This was made into a laminate cell using ITO/PET (surface resistivity ofITO was 50 Ω/sq) as the top and bottom electrodes. A white tape with acircular cavity (˜5 mm in diameter and 110 to 120 μm in thickness) wasplaced on one of the electrodes to act as a template for theelectrolyte. A drop of electrolyte was placed in the template and leftat room temperature for ten minutes and then placed in an oven at 50 oCfor fifteen minutes to remove the volatile solvent. Upon removal fromthe oven it was left to stand under ambient atmosphere for ten minutesand then a strip of ITO was placed on top (ITO side facing electrolyte).The sides of this device were encapsulated with an aluminum backedpressure sensitive adhesive tape. The color of the as fabricated devicewas almost white (optical state 1)

The device (display cell or indicator) was activated by applying 4 voltsfor 20 seconds. This produced a deep blue (almost black in appearance)dot(—optical state 2). This color change occurred due to thepolymerization of the monomer (the redox material) from the electrolytewhich deposited as a polymer on the positively charged electrode. Thisactivation added an additional layer between the electrolyte and thetransparent electrode where the colored layer was formed.

A second cell was activated by applying 4 volts for 20 seconds whichalso produced a deep blue (almost black) dot. After the formation of theblue/black dot, the potential was reversed, while the applied potentialwas also reduced to 1.2 volts. The blue color changed within 2 secondsto a deep red color-optical state 3. This color change occurred due tothe electrochemical reduction of the polymer formed in the earlieractivation step.

Further three different devices were made, first one of which wasactivated using 4V so that only blue color was seen, the second wasactivated to blue state and then to red state, and the third one wasleft without activation (white state). All of the three devices werestored in these states at −18 C, room temperature and at 58° C. for onemonth. After one month at any of these temperatures no visible change incolor was seen in all three devices. This shows that all of theseoptical states were stable. Further, the first device could be activatedto red state by applying 1.2V as described earlier. The red color devicecould be changed to a blue colored device by applying 1.2V so that thepolymer oxidized, and the white colored device could be activated toblue state and then to red state by applying the potentials as discussedabove. This shows that the device has multiple stable colored states,i.e., optical state 2 and optical state 3. The device could not bechanged back to optical state 1—the change from this state was notreversible.

Example 2

Preparation of an EC indicator with clear electrolyte. To a small sureseal bottle was added 0.3 g of PMMA (15,000 average molecular weight)and 0.733 ml of acetonitrile and ionic liquid (0.49 g of1-Butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide. Thiswas sealed and stirred for one hour to form a solution. To this wasadded 0.15 g of PMMA to give a total of 0.45 g of polymer. The mixturewas stirred for two hours to form a solution. 0.033 g of fumed silicawas added and again stirred for one hour. The bottle was placed in afume hood under an argon atmosphere and 2-2′ bithiophene (0.041 g) andthe lithium salt [HQ-115, Lithium Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide,0.14 g] were added. The flask was sealed and stirred for one hour toform a light green solution which after stirring for 24 hours turneddark green. Its viscosity was 87 centipoise, measured using BrookfieldModel DV-III+ programmable viscometer at a shear strain of 960 s-1. Thiselectrolyte was used made to make a cell as described above, but with adifferent electrode configuration. An ITO electrode was used at the topand an ITO or a metal electrode at the bottom. ITO electrode was atransparent conductive ITO coated on PET as described above. Themetallic electrodes were copper or stainless steel. Seal tape was placedat the edges of the substrates. When both of the electrodes were ITO thedevices were transparent. The devices were activated to a blue state byapplying 4 volts for 20 seconds (turned deep dark blue) and a subsequentreversed polarity with a potential of 1.2 volts was applied to turn theactive area of the device deep red in color. A transmission spectrum ofthe device in the un-activated state (as prepared) and activated state(red) was taken between 320 and 800 nm. The spectra 525 are shown inFIG. 15.

Cells which were prepared where copper and or stainless steel (SS) werepowered so that the bithiophene monomer polymerizes into a colored bluepolymer to form a film on the metallic electrode. When the potential wasreversed as above, the polymer turned into a red color which providedhigh contrast as compared to the initial metallic state.

Example 3

EC indicator with opposing interdigitated electrodes on the samesubstrate. A transparent electrolyte was prepared by mixing 0.45 g ofPMMA (15K MW), 0.033 g of fumed silica and 0.563 g of anhydrousacetonitrile. The mixture was stirred at 25° C. for two hours to form atranslucent solution. Under an inert atmosphere was added 0.041 g of2,2′ bithiophene, 0.014 g of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imideand 0.8 g of 1methyl-1butylpyrrolidinumbis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide. The mixture after stirring for twohours had a light green color.

A device was fabricated as described in Example 2 except that apatterned ITO electrode was used. The pattern was made using a laseretching process. In this process the ITO was etched from the substrateusing an IR laser, where the width of the etched (or ablated) line wasin the range of 30 to 50 microns. One could have also used UV or visibleregion lasers with etched widths down to less than 10 microns. Aschematic drawing 535 of the etched pattern is shown in FIG. 16. Thefigure shows a rectangular piece of PET substrate with an ITO coating(outer perimeter of the device). The line running through the center andzig-zagging is the laser etch path, essentially dividing the sample intwo conductive areas without any electrical connection between the two.The width of the laser etch is not shown, as the line represents thisetch. This figure shows that the fingers of this interdigitated designconnected to the top are thinner as compared to the fingers connected tothe bottom part. This design is asymmetric, and one could have also useda symmetric design. Any width of the fingers may be used, but apreferred width of the fingers for visual indicators usinginterdigitated design is in the range of 50 to 1,000 microns. Thevoltage is applied across the two opposing electrodes, i.e., in thiscase connecting the two polarities of the power source to the ITO on thetop part and on the bottom part. Both of these opposing electrodes areon the same plane. One may also generate alphanumeric characters andimages using interdigitated design of the electrodes. This pattern is anembodiment of the concept discussed earlier in FIG. 9.

This electrode contained isolated ITO interdigitated fingers which actedas anode and cathode electrodes (opposing electrodes). The electrolytewas placed on the on the substrate uniformly in an area coveringslightly bigger than the area shown by the circle (touching bothelectrodes) formed by this etched pattern. The electrolyte layer was notpatterned. A asymmetric electrode design was used where one set offingers were about 250 microns wide and the other set was 500 micronswide. The electrolyte was cured at 50° C. for 15 minutes to give a finalthickness of around 110 μm. In the as formed state the cell wascolorless. Applying 3.3 volts the cell turned blue with the blue colorfollowing the pattern of the ITO. When a reverse potential of 1.2 voltswas applied the cell turned red. This demonstrates that a colorless andcolored transparent device can be prepared using both of the electrodeson a single substrate. FIG. 17 shows a device 550 prior to 551 and after553 activation. Devices made in this fashion were stored under ambientconditions in both activated and non-activated states. These devicesappeared unchanged to the eye after storing them for five years.

FIG. 18 shows another device 575 in the activated and non-activatedstate. In this case ITO was etched using a mechanical scribe in order toform this character. The length of the line forming the “+” sign was 10mm. The size or the width of the mechanically etched lines was about 100microns. The color of lines shown in the activated state was red-ochrefor both FIGS. 17 and 18.

Generally, the intelligent label can be attached to a product or good,whereby the intelligent label provides immediate local informationimportant for distributors and consumers for making decisions and takingactions regarding that product. In some cases, the intelligent labelalso contains communication circuits for communicating to either localdistribution equipment, or to network systems. Importantly, theintelligent label provides visual indicia that can be changed accordingto predefined rules, and in some cases be changed in a permanent andirreversible way. In this way, when certain environmental or timingconditions have been met, for example, permanent indicia on the labelmay be changed to show that the product is no longer acceptable for use.Indeed, the applications already on file have gone through severaluseful applications of both local and system utility for the intelligentlabel.

The utility or usefulness of many items or products changes over time.These changes may be to improve the quality or usefulness of the item,although in most cases the change reduces the utility, usefulness orsafety of the product or good. The changes made to the product or goodmay be responsive to the sensing of external conditions such astemperature, vibration, humidity, or other environmental factors, or thechange may be to internal conditions that may be completely independentof the external conditions, or in some cases act in conjunction with theexternal conditions. For example, the internal conditions of a productor good such as a drug, vaccine or unit of blood may cause or acceleratethe growth of bacteria or otherwise reduce its efficacy. These changescan be due to changes in pressure, light, temperature, or other externalenvironmental causes, but these changes may also depend upon the initialbiological state of the good. In other cases, the temperature of aproduct or good may be both a factor related to its external temperatureenvironment as well as potential heating of internal circuitry,components or materials, chemical leaks, chemical reactions, or decay.

Traditional monitoring systems have failed to appropriately track thesegoods or products, and give immediate feedback to those that immediatelyneed it. For example, simple state indicators such as chemicalthermochromic labels lack intelligence and only operate with very simpleand crude thresholds. Typically such indicators are limited to a singlechange indication and provide no indication of history. Data loggers aremore intelligent and are used to collect more complete data on aparticular good, for example, while it is in transit. However the datausually is simply locally stored and then transmitted to a remotelocation for processing at a later time, and so therefore immediatefeedback is not available to those in the local environment of the goodto make a decision and react. Further, data loggers tend to be veryexpensive. Finally, many have tried to use RFID tags to provide furtherinformation regarding a product or good. However, an RFID tag is onlyuseful when it is in or has relatively easy access to an RFID fieldwhere its memory can be interrogated. Accordingly, the RFID tag againlacks the ability to have any immediate feedback to the localenvironment unless there is an expensive RFID reading system available.

Often, it is very difficult to directly monitor the state, condition orquality of a product or good. For example, the direct measurement of thetemperature (or changes in temperature) of a unit of blood, a bottle ofwine, or a container of drugs is very difficult to concretely andaccurately determine. And further it is very difficult to equate thequality of the product or good to the temperature (or changes intemperature) and alert or inform the person in possession of the productor good about its state or condition, or whether or not the product orgood is good or bad. The problem is compounded when the item (e.g.blood) is contained within a separate package or container (e.g. bag).Accordingly, an appropriate label can be made that monitors theenvironment external to the product or good or the container the productor good is placed inside, and then uses embedded logic and historicaldata to determine statistically when the product or good should bedeclared to have changed state, condition or quality. To do so, requiresappropriate and often times continuous or continual monitoring of theimportant external environmental conditions, with an understanding ofwhat types of conditions the product or good is likely to be put into.Further, implementing this process requires some prior history andknowledge that can be used to relate environmental conditions with thestatistical likelihood that the product or good is good or bad. Ofcourse, it would be highly desirable in certain applications to monitormany environmental conditions continuously and for the life of theproduct. Further, it would be most useful to have detailed historicalinformation and sophisticated algorithms for determining when a productis good or bad. However, sensing, processing, and memory storing allconsume considerable power and increase the cost of the label. Theformer is especially problematic when the label needs to operate atleast some of the time in one or more environments where available poweris finite, e.g. supplied from a embedded battery, or limited whensupplied from solar or harvested RF such as through an RFID field. Costsof course are also affected by the amount of memory required to storehistorical information. Advancements therefore need to be made regardingthe type of monitoring, kind of monitoring, and the complexity of thealgorithmic processes.

The Adaptive Label or tag

The adaptive label or tag may be constructed for autonomous use, or mayparticipate in network communications. Generally, the adaptive label canbe understood by understanding its improvement to two areas. First, theadaptive label provides enhanced intelligence in providing environmentalmonitoring. Second, the adaptive label provides important data, memoryand power management functions.

Enhanced Environmental Monitoring. The adaptive label provides for themonitoring and sensing of environmental conditions in a highly flexiblemanner. For example, a label may provide variable monitoring based onmany different factors, and in some cases the label may have moresophisticated processes that permit adapting to the sensed environments.Sampling of the environment may be modified by the adaptive label inseveral ways. First, the frequency of sampling and the type of samplingmay change depending on the age of the product or the time it has beenin transit. For example, if it is understood that a perishable productshipped to a customer will be in transit from the seller for up to 10days, then it may be useful to begin more frequent environmentmonitoring towards the end of the transit period for example at eightdays. During the first eight days the shipper will almost certainly havecustody of the product and therefore it can be safely assumed to be in acontrolled refrigerated environment and thus infrequent monitoring isadequate to confirm the product is safe. Between 8 and 10 days howeverthe product will be delivered to the customer and the environment willbe unknown. The product may be left in metal mailbox in direct sunlightor on a porch in the shade. Much more frequent monitoring is thereforedesirable to determine when a threshold is exceeded to and which partyhad custody of the product at that time.

Sensing may also be adjusted according to the magnitude of values in asensed environment. For example, when a temperature has reached acertain range or other conditional rule, then a change in the frequency,quantity or accuracy or precision of the sampling may be needed. In yetanother example, the sampling rates may be adjusted according to theknown location of the device. For example, if the intelligent labelunderstands that it is in a temperature controlled warehouse, then itcan do monitoring less frequently. However, if the label knows that itis in transit in a truck, then it can increase its sampling rates. Inyet another example, the sampling, sensing, monitoring parameters mayautomatically change according to the presence or absence of an RFID,Bluetooth or BLE, WiFi or other broadcast environment, e.g. one with awireless beacon. The sampling, sensing, monitoring parameters may bedependent on entering (presence of), immediately prior to leaving,leaving or the exiting (absence of) an RF environment. The sampling,sensing, monitoring parameters may be dependent on the periods of timeinside or outside known environments and further the environmentalconditions within the environments.

Enhanced Data, Memory and Power Management. The adaptive label may alsobe constructed for improved data handling, thereby reducing the amountof memory and power needed to store data, as well as simplifiedprocessors and processes for processing the data. Generally the improveddata management has two key aspects. First, the adaptive label may onlystore data that is outside a predefined safe range. This safe range canbe defined either as being with in an acceptable value range, or it maybe defined when the label and its associated product are in a known safeand controlled environment. Second, the memory for the adaptive labelmay be reused when it is determined that the storage of some previouslycollected data is no longer needed (e.g. when one of a series or tiersof thresholds or ranges has been exceeded the previously stored valuesare erased or overwritten).

By way of further explanation, if a sensor determines that a product isbeing subjected to a particular temperature, and the processordetermines that that temperature provides no risk in conjunction withthe other factors known for that product, then it may be possible toimmediately discard and not store that data. In this way, memory andpower can be conserved. In another example, if the product is in a knownphysical location, such as in a refrigerator or refrigerated warehouse,then at least some of the sensors for that product may be disabled, orat least the data ignored that is coming from the sensors. The variablelabel may know that it is within a specific location because ofcommunications received through its communication circuitry, such as anembedded RFID or BLE circuit. Further, when the variable label is withinthese controlled environments, the wireless communications may modifythe sensing and computational actions of the variable label to accountfor being in the controlled environment. For example, if the good is ina refrigerator, then many if not all of the sensing functions may be putto sleep until the product is removed from that controlled environment.Once the variable label is aware that it is has been removed from thecontrolled environment, most likely by a wireless communication, thenthe variable label stops its sleep sensing processes and returns to themore usual and more aggressive sensing. In another example, once theproduct is in its controlled environment, it may go to a reduced sensingrate, and then wait for a motion sensor on the label to indicate thatthe product is being moved, and then again go back to its moreaggressive sensing condition.

Referring now to FIG. 19, an intelligent label or tag 600 is shown. Manyof the features and structures of label 600 have been fully describedpreviously, so those aspects will be only briefly discussed here. Tag600 has a label area 626 that may take many forms. For example it can bea traditional adhesive label, a band, or any other type of tag that maybe attached or associated with a good. In some cases the label may havea print area 626, although that is not necessary for the adaptive label.The label 600 also has a processor 628 that has a clock timer 629 andmemory storage 630. The label may have some actuator mechanism 631 forinitially starting the processor. In this way, the power would remainoff or at a very low state until the tag is actually placed on the goodor the good is moved into commerce. The label 600 also has a powersource 632, which may be a battery for example. The label may have oneor more displays 633, which may be in the form of an electro chromaticindicator. It will be understood that other types of displays can beused. The label 600 may also have a communication capability 634 forproviding remote communication. In many cases, this communication 634will be an RFID or Bluetooth communication system. Label 600 also has asensor 636. Generally, sensor 636 may be an environmental sensor forsensing the environment external to the good, such as temperature,vibration, humidity, or chemical exposure. In other cases, sensor 636may be a good sensor for directly measuring some characteristic of thegood to which the label is attached. In some cases, a second sensor 638may be provided. A second sensor may be useful, for example if more thanone characteristic of the environment or good is desired to bemonitored, such as both temperature and humidity. Also, one sensor maybe an environmental sensor and the other a good sensor. Finally, thesensors may measure the same characteristic, but be spaced apart atdifferent places on the good. In this way, the environmental exposure ofthe good or the surrounding environment could be more accuratelymonitored.

Referring now to FIG. 20, a method of operating an intelligent label ortag 700 is illustrated. Block 701 shows that an intelligent label or tagis attached to a good. In many cases there will be some activationprocess 703 that causes the processor in the intelligent label to gointo operation. Sometimes this could be the removal of an adhesivebacking, pushing a button, or be responsive to a timer or elapsed timeor received signal. The processor then compares a characteristic to athreshold value as shown in block 705. In some cases this characteristiccould be time or elapsed time, it might be data coming in from a sensor,or it might be data that has been evaluated from data collected over aperiod of time from a sensor. For example, the sensor might be trackingthe temperature of the ambient air around the good. If the rate ofchange in a period of time becomes steeper than normal, that derivativevalue could represent a threshold value. It will be understood that manydifferent characteristics could be measured and used as a thresholdvalue.

If the threshold value is not exceeded, then data is collected 711according to rule 1 706. By way of example, rule 1 might have arelatively slow rate of data collection, or it might only require that avery small or possibly none of the data points be stored. In this waypower is conserved and memory usage reduced. However, when the thresholdvalue is exceeded, then data is collected 711 according to rule 2 707.Often, the second rule would indicate that there is more urgency inmonitoring the good. In this way, data may be collected at a fasterrate, or more data may be stored. Typically, the threshold value wouldbe continually monitored, such that if the more urgent condition ceased,the system would revert back to rule 1 706. The collected data 711 isanalyzed 713 to determine a quality or characteristic of the good. Thatdata can then be used to generate a message 715. That message may be,for example an indication of quality of the good, or an alarm indicatingthat the product has gone bad. In some cases that message may bedisplayed 717 on the label itself in a human or machine readable form,or it may be communicated remotely 719 using a communication system.Also, the message may be stored in memory and extracted later eitherthrough a communication system or a data port.

Intelligent Blood Label. In one specific example, the adaptive label isconstructed as an intelligent blood label. The safe storage and deliveryof blood or blood products is of critical importance. Indeed, if a unitof blood or plasma is thought to have been mishandled, then it isn'tused. Although the adaptive label will be described as being attached toa blood bag, it will be appreciated that the adaptive label would beuseful for many types of fluid bags, such as IV bags.

The efficacy and safety of blood and blood products are affected bytemperature over time. As a general rule blood should be refrigerated at0 to 6 degrees Centigrade until is needed for use. It is not howeverpractical to directly, continuously and reliably measure the temperatureof a unit of blood due to 1.) The mass of the blood, 2.) Its exposure tochanging ambient environments and surface contact with trays, carts,refrigeration units, other blood bags, humans etc. and 3.) The bag beingsealed. The healthcare industry therefore relies upon a prescribed setof rules to govern the handling of blood and blood products. Forexample, blood is presumed safe for use if less than 42 days haveelapsed since it was first drawn and it is outside of tightly controlledrefrigerated environments for less than 30 minutes at a time. Compliancewith the rules however is uncertain as it depends on largelyindeterminate human activity. In other words, there currently isn't apractical way to monitor if the rules are followed without exception.

A solution to the problem is to monitor the temperature to which thesurfaces of the bag of blood are exposed over time. For example, bymonitoring the temperatures of the surfaces of the bag of blood incontact with a human hand or the tray upon which the bag rests and theair surrounding the opposing surface. These temperatures can then bealgorithmically processed to determine compliance with the prescribedrules.

Referring now to FIG. 21, a blood bag 650 is illustrated. The blood baghas a vessel 651 for holding the blood, which is normally a type offlexible plastic. An intelligent tag or label 652 is attached to the bagin a way that has a front side of the label 653 and a back side of thelabel 654. A band 655 may be used to secure the tag around the blood bag651. Together, the tag front 653, tag back 654, and tag band 655comprise the intelligent label. The intelligent label may have aprocessor, memory, power supply, timer, memory, activator, display, andcommunication system as previously described. The front 653 of the labelalso has an environmental, outward facing sensor 657. Often, this sensorwill be a temperature sensor. In a similar manner, the back 654 also hasan outward facing temperature sensor 658. In this way, both environmentsto which the sides of the bag are exposed may be monitored at the sametime. This is important for blood, as when the blood bag is laid flat,each side of the blood will be exposed to very different environmentaltemperatures. Optionally, the intelligent label 652 may also havesensors facing inward and towards the blood. There may be one inwardfacing (towards the blood) sensor 661 on the front, and in some cases itmay be useful to have a second inward facing (towards the blood) sensor662 on the back.

The Intelligent Label may be modified and used to provide efficient andcost effective control for the handling of blood, and in particular, inwhen to discard it. In this way, a much more accurate and verifiableblood management program can be implemented, and less good blood will bewasted. Further, the overall quality and accountability for the bloodsupply can be improved.

The intelligent blood label is an autonomous physical label andindicator that can act without the need for network connection. However,as with the basic intelligent label, the blood label may have RFID orother communication capability for network or system connectivity. Thelabel may also have EO (electro-optic) indicators for variousinformation, such as data collected, state relative to rules and lastdate for use. Other EO indicators may provide prominent or verynoticeable indication that simply indicates if the blood unit is good,bad, or suspect in accordance to prescribed rules. It will beappreciated that many other kinds of EO indicators and displays ofinformation may be used.

As with the generic intelligent label, the blood label has a powersource, such as a battery, a processor/memory, and one or more sensors.For example, it may have one or more temperature sensors, humiditysensors, and vibration sensors. Preferably two communicatively coupledtemperature sensors, one on each side of the blood bag, are used. Thesensors collect environmental data, and then the processor can use thatdata to determine how to change or set the EO indicators. Data may bestored for later collection by a communication system.

In one example, the label is part of the blood collection bag, and isactivated at the time the blood is first collected. In this way, theentire life of the blood unit can be captured and tracked. With theblood label, it is now practical to measure the temperature ofeverything that comes into contact with the unit of blood, and know howlong it was exposed to that temperature. Of course, additional detailedinformation may be captured by distributing temperature sensors inmultiple places on the bag. With accurate temperature and time data,many calculations could be undertaken to determine peak temperature,cumulative temperature impact, temperature cycling, rates of change, andso forth. These temperature statistics can then be correlated toprescribed rules and actual blood safety, and used to determine when anindicator will be set that shows the blood as bad, or about to go bad.

The condition or utility of many items changes over time in response tochanges in external conditions, or internal conditions (independent of,or in conjunction with, external conditions, for example: Growth/deathof biologics (resulting in changes in pressure, in optics, temperature,etc.); overheating circuits; or chemical leaks, reactions, decay, etc.Traditional mobile monitoring systems are currently limited. They don'tautonomously adapt in response to self-determined changes (E.g. viainternal sensors, clocks/timers and associated logic/conditional rulesetc.). For example, data loggers collect data for remote, postprocessing and sampling rates are set by external command (e.g. switchsetting, wired or wireless signal). RFID tags, while they are getting‘smarter, are designed for data acquisition/transmission and subsequentremote processing. And like data loggers they are not autonomouslyadaptive.

In general, the effectiveness of an intelligent label is related to theconditions monitored and frequency they are monitored. In general,higher rates are advantageous, especially during periods when an item issensitive to change, the internal/external conditions to which it issensitive (or susceptible) are changing rapidly, and during thetransition from one environment to another.

Autonomous operation, monitoring and sampling require power (eitherembedded, harvested or transmitted). The smarter and longer operatingthe intelligent label, and the higher the frequency and accuracy atwhich monitoring/sampling occurs, the greater the amount of power (andmemory) is required (and thus cost, physical space, environmental wasteetc. The greater the amount of data collected, the greater the cost andpower consumption of an intelligent label.

While particular preferred and alternative embodiments of the presentintention have been disclosed, it will be appreciated that many variousmodifications and extensions of the above described technology may beimplemented using the teaching of this invention. All such modificationsand extensions are intended to be included within the true spirit andscope of the appended claims.

1.-41. (canceled)
 42. An intelligent tag associated with a good,comprising: a processor; a memory for storing a set of sensor rules; adisplay; a first sensor coupled to the processor for sensing a firstcondition regarding the good, the first sensor having a firstorientation; a second sensor coupled to the processor for sensing asecond condition regarding the good, the second sensor having a secondorientation different than the first orientation; a power source; andwherein the processor uses data from one of the sensors and one of therules to generate a message regarding the status of the good.
 43. Theintelligent tag according to claim 42, wherein the first orientationpositions the first sensor to face the good and the second orientationpositions the second sensor to face away from the good.
 44. Theintelligent tag according to claim 42, wherein the first orientationpositions the first sensor on the same label surface as the display andthe second orientation positions the second sensor on the oppositesurface as the display.
 45. The intelligent tag according to claim 42,wherein the first sensor is in or on the package and positioned todirectly measure a condition of the package.
 46. The intelligent tagaccording to claim 42, wherein the first sensor is in or on theintelligent tag and positioned to directly measure a condition of theintelligent tag.
 47. The intelligent tag according to claim 42, whereinthe message is presented on the display.
 48. The intelligent tagaccording to claim 42, wherein the first sensor is constructed as a goodsensor to directly measure a characteristic of the good.
 49. Theintelligent tag according to claim 48, wherein the measuredcharacteristic of the good is temperature, shock, vibration, biological,or chemical.
 50. The intelligent tag according to claim 48, wherein thetag is constructed to position the first sensor such that it is on theopposite face as the display.
 51. The intelligent tag according to claim48, wherein the tag is constructed to position the first sensor suchthat it is on the same face as the display.
 52. The intelligent tagaccording to claim 48, wherein the first sensor is attached the good,integral to the good, attached to the good's packaging, or integral tothe good's packaging.
 53. The intelligent tag according to claim 1,wherein the second sensor is constructed as an environmental sensor tomeasure a characteristic of the good's environment.
 54. The intelligenttag according to claim 53, wherein the measured characteristic of thegood's environment is temperature, shock, humidity, vibration,biological, or chemical.
 55. The intelligent tag according to claim 53,wherein the second sensor is attached the good, integral to the good,attached to the good's packaging, or integral to the good's packaging.56. The intelligent tag according to claim 53, wherein the tag isconstructed to position the second sensor such that it is on theopposite face as the display.
 57. The intelligent tag according to claim53, wherein the tag is constructed to position the second sensor suchthat it is on the same face as the display.
 58. The intelligent tagaccording to claim 42, wherein the intelligent tag is attached the good,integral to the good, attached to the good's packaging, or integral tothe good's packaging.
 59. The intelligent tag according to claim 42,further including an actuator that generates an actuator signal, theactuator signal activating at least one of the sensors.
 60. Theintelligent tag according to claim 42, further including an actuatorthat generates an actuator signal, the actuator signal deactivating atleast one of the sensors.
 61. The intelligent tag according to claim 42,further including a wireless communication circuit constructed toreceive a communication signal indicating a location of the good, thecommunication signal being used by the processor to activate at least ofthe sensors.
 62. The intelligent tag according to claim 42, furtherincluding a wireless communication circuit constructed to generate acommunication signal responsive to one of the sensors, the communicationsignal indicating a location of the good.
 63. The intelligent tagaccording to claim 42, further including a wireless communicationcircuit constructed to generate a communication signal responsive to oneof the sensors.
 64. The intelligent tag according to claim 42, furtherincluding a wireless communication circuit constructed to receive acommunication signal indicating a location of the good, thecommunication signal being used by the processor to deactivate at leastof the sensors.
 65. An intelligent tag associated with a good,comprising: a processor; a memory; a display; a first sensor coupled tothe processor for sensing a first condition regarding the good, thesensor having an off state and a sensing state; an actuator forgenerating an actuator signal; a clock for generating a clock signal; apower source; and wherein the processor uses data from the sensor togenerate a message that is presented on the display.
 66. The intelligentlabel according to claim 65, wherein the message is machine readable.67. The intelligent label according to claim 65, wherein the message ishuman readable.
 68. The intelligent label according to claim 65, whereinthe first sensor is constructed to transition from its off state to itssensing state responsive to the actuator signal.
 69. The intelligentlabel according to claim 65, wherein the first sensor is constructed totransition from its off state to its sensing state responsive to theclock signal.
 70. The intelligent label according to claim 69, whereinthe clock signal represents an absolute time, a periodic time, or anelapse time.
 71. The intelligent label according to claim 65, furtherincluding a second sensor for generating a second sensor signal, andwherein the first sensor is constructed to transition from its off stateto its sensing state responsive to the second sensor signal.
 72. Theintelligent tag according to claim 71, wherein the second sensor isconstructed as an environmental sensor to measure a characteristic ofthe good's environment.
 73. The intelligent tag according to claim 72,wherein the measured characteristic of the good's environment istemperature, shock, humidity, vibration, biological, chemical.
 74. Theintelligent tag according to claim 71, wherein the second sensor isattached the good, integral to the good, attached to the good'spackaging, or integral to the good's packaging.
 75. The intelligent tagaccording to claim 71, wherein the tag is constructed to position thesecond sensor such that it is on the opposite face as the display. 76.The intelligent tag according to claim 71, wherein the tag isconstructed to position the second sensor such that it is on the sameface as the display.
 77. The intelligent tag according to claim 65,wherein the first sensor is constructed as a good sensor to directlymeasure a characteristic of the good.
 78. The intelligent tag accordingto claim 77, wherein the measured characteristic of the good istemperature, shock, vibration, biological, chemical.
 79. The intelligenttag according to claim 65, wherein the tag is constructed to positionthe first sensor such that it is on the opposite face as the display.80. The intelligent tag according to claim 65, wherein the tag isconstructed to position the first sensor such that it is on the sameface as the display.
 81. The intelligent tag according to claim 65,wherein the first sensor is attached the good, integral to the good,attached to the good's packaging, or integral to the good's packaging.82. The intelligent tag according to claim 65, wherein the intelligenttag is attached the good, integral to the good, attached to the good'spackaging, or integral to the good's packaging.
 83. The intelligent tagaccording to claim 65, wherein the intelligent tag is attached the good,integral to the good, attached to the good's packaging, or integral tothe good's packaging.
 84. The intelligent tag according to claim 65,wherein the actuator signal activates the first sensor.
 85. Theintelligent tag according to claim 65, wherein the actuator signaldeactivates the first sensor.
 86. The intelligent tag according to claim65, further including a wireless communication circuit constructed toreceive a communication signal indicating a location of the good, thecommunication signal being used by the processor to activate the firstsensor.
 87. The intelligent tag according to claim 65, further includinga wireless communication circuit constructed to generate a communicationsignal responsive to the first sensor, the communication signalindicating a location of the good.
 88. The intelligent tag according toclaim 65, further including a wireless communication circuit constructedto generate a communication signal responsive to the first sensor. 89.The intelligent tag according to claim 65, further including a wirelesscommunication circuit constructed to receive a communication signalindicating a location of the good, the communication signal being usedby the processor to deactivate the first sensor.
 90. An intelligent tagassociated with a good, comprising: a processor; a memory; a firstelectronic display device that can be set to permanently display amessage by the processor; a second electronic display device; a powersource; and wherein the processor uses data from one of the sensors togenerate a message that is presented on the display.
 91. The intelligenttag according to claim 90, wherein the first electronic display devicecan be set to permanently and irreversibly display a message by theprocessor.
 92. The intelligent tag according to claim 90, wherein thesecond electronic display device can be set to permanently display asecond message by the processor.
 93. The intelligent tag according toclaim 90, wherein the second electronic display device can be set topermanently and irreversibly display a second message by the processor.